A few weeks ago I went to pray at the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Ohel. I always immerse myself in the mikvah (ritual bath) first, to ensure I enter the Ohel in a state of spiritual purity.
It costs $3 to use the mikvah, which is dedicated for upkeep—cleaning, towels, etc. On my way out, someone was having trouble with his credit card and asked if I could lend him $3. Of course, I obliged.
He asked how he could pay me back, but I did this purely to help another Jew. I actually didn’t respond at all, because I didn’t want him to detect my South African accent and try to figure out who I am.
But a few days later, I received a text message from CashApp: “Yankel* has sent you $3. Please click on the link to accept it.” I ignored the message because a) I don’t have CashApp; my wife does, and b) I wasn’t looking to be repaid for the mitzvah I did. I don’t know how he tracked me down, but somehow he did!
A few days later I received a follow-up text reminding me to accept the $3, but still I ignored it.
Until a couple of weeks later, when a donation came through our website with a note: “Thank you very much for your help at the mikvah with the $3.” And when I looked at the amount, I saw that Yankel had donated $101—which is 3000 percent more than I had given him!
I told this story in shul on Shabbat, to illustrate that G-d never remains in debt. When we do a mitzvah, even if it’s difficult and requires a lot of effort, G-d will find a way to repay us. Sometimes we don’t see it immediately, and sometimes we don’t see it at all, but G-d doesn’t leave His debts unpaid.
After hearing my story, Chaim* approached me and said he was so inspired that he wants to donate $1000 to the shul. Now, you do the math, but it’s way over 30,000 percent of the initial $3!
Truthfully, however, the ultimate reward for a mitzvah is not G-d paying us back. That’s a side benefit.
Think about what makes you happy: A business deal that yields big dividends? Landing a new client? A Vegas vacation? New sports car?
But when we do a mitzvah, we are granted something much greater than any of those—the ultimate gift, connection to the Infinite. When we do a mitzvah, we have the opportunity to connect with the Almighty Himself. And you can’t put a price on that.
*Names changed for privacy.