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One Mitzvah Brings Another

Run to an easy mitzvah as eagerly as to a weighty one, because every mitzvah draws the next one after it.

A teaching ofShimon ben Azzaiשמעון בן עזאיProfile ›

Ben Azzai teaches in Pirkei Avos: Run to do an easy mitzvah just as you would a weighty one, and flee from sin. For one mitzvah draws another mitzvah after it, and one sin draws another sin after it. The reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah, and the reward of a sin is a sin. A person may think that small mitzvos hardly matter. Ben Azzai shows that each one opens a door. A kind word leads to a favor, a favor leads to a friendship, and a friendship leads to a chance to help again. The same is true in the other direction, which is why he urges us to run from even a small wrong. The greatest reward for doing a mitzvah, he teaches, is that it makes the next one easier to reach.

Source: Pirkei Avos 4:2

Practical lessonGrab the small mitzvah

Today, look for one small mitzvah you would normally let pass: holding a door, answering amen out loud, putting a coin in a tzedakah box, returning a cart, saying a brachah slowly. Do it quickly, the moment you notice it. Then watch for the next opportunity that follows. Try to string three small mitzvos together in one day, and see how one draws the next.

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