Parshas Shemos: Jubilant Mitzvoth

“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: 'Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart… And the L-RD said to Aaron: 'Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.' And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.” (Exodus 4:14,27)

“Rabbi Yitzchak Bar Merion explains the message of this verse is that one should perform mitzvoth with a gladdened heart. Has Reuben known that the Torah would write “And Reuben heard and saved [Joseph] from their hands,” he would have lifted him up on his shoulders to bring him back to Jacob. Had Aaron known that the Torah would write “behold, he cometh forth to meet thee” he would have brought along an entire musical ensemble to welcome Moses. Had Boaz been aware that the Torah would write “And Boaz said unto [Ruth] at meal-time: 'Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar,” he would have served her the choicest meats. Rabbi Cohen and Rabbi Yehoshua D’Sakin quoted Rabbi Levi that in Biblical times, when a person would perform a mitzvah the prophet would inscribe the mitzvah, nowadays Elijah records it and Messiah stamps the inscription.” (Midrash Ruth 5:6)

The aforementioned Midrash is widely quoted, but is quite obfuscating. On one hand the imparted message is that Aaron was delinquent and would have done much more for Moses had he been aware of the intense media coverage. On the other hand the beginning of the Midrash uses Aaron as a paradigm for performing mitzvos with happiness, proving that Aaron obviously performed the mitzvah to the highest degree possible. How do we make sense of this Midrash?

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv in his commentary “Divrei Aggada” explains that Moses was hesitant in accepting the position of leadership so as not to offend his older brother Aaron. Aaron however wasn’t put off in the least. Had Aaron felt that Moses would ever consider his feelings, he would have given Moses a red-carpet welcome in order to dispel any thoughts of jealousy that Moses felt Aaron might be harboring. The reason why Aarondid not roll out the red-carpet is because he never imagined that Moses would suspect that Aaron would mind his appointment. Therefore his happiness was only displayed in his heart. The Midrash is singing the praises of Aaron's noble intentions.

This theme follows for Reuben as well. Reuben knew that people suspected him of harboring resentment against Joseph, for Joseph replaced him as firstborn. Had Reuben’s intention to save Joseph been a public relations ploy to quiet the rumors, he would have made a major scene out of his heroism. The Torah therefore relates that Reuben’s true goal was to bring Joseph back alive to Jacob, and not to perform media spin.

Boaz as well was not seeking to win the Good Samaritan award. He only desired to fulfill the commandment of loving the proselyte. Therefore he didn't serve food for the press, rather he served her what she needed for satiation.

The conclusion of the Midrash, “in Biblical times, when a person would perform a mitzvah the prophet would inscribe the mitzvah,” is informing us that once upon a time the incentive to perform mitzvoth was due to the honor granted by the public recording of the deed. Today however, our mitzvoth are recorded with no fanfare so the PR incentive is no longer applicable. However the prophet Ezekiel (44:15-16) promises us that altruistic performance of mitzvoth carries with it a much greater reward than a mitzvah done amidst public fanfare. G-d is aware of our actions and intentions, so that’s the bottom line. Public recognition of our actions is an inborn desire, but our mission is to outgrow that natural urge. It’s not a simple endeavor, but the reward is eternal.

May we all learn from the model set forth by our ancestors to perform mitzvoth with true happiness and altruistic intentions.