The Blessing Within the Sacrifice

Sometimes in life, we are called upon to do things that are difficult. Our initial reaction may be to think, why do I need this now? At that moment, we need what is called mesirut nefesh—to dig down deep and give of ourselves for the sake of Hashem, even though it is hard. When we are moser nefesh, Hashem appreciates our efforts tremendously. Very often, what we perceive as a sacrifice ends up becoming the source of a blessing we could have never imagined. When we give of ourselves, even though it is uncomfortable, knowing that we are working for Hashem, it becomes an act of emunah—recognizing that Hashem sees all of our efforts and values every bit of toil we invest in His service. A man—let's call him Ralph—told me that a couple of years ago he met the head of a platoon in the IDF, and they developed a friendship. Recently, this platoon leader called Ralph and explained that his unit was being stationed on the border with Lebanon. Their boots were old, worn out, and completely insufficient for the harsh conditions ahead. The soldiers desperately needed new boots, but they did not have the funds to pay for them. The platoon leader asked Ralph if he might be willing to help. Ralph asked how much was needed. The answer was clear: boots for thirty-two soldiers, at about two hundred dollars per pair—approximately six thousand dollars. Without hesitation, Ralph responded, "No problem. I'll cover two thousand myself, and I'll call a couple of friends for the rest. Together we'll take care of it." Ralph called his first friend and explained the situation, asking if he could contribute two thousand dollars. The friend hesitated and ultimately declined. He then called a second friend, who also said he was unable to help at that time. Now Ralph faced a real test. His initial thought was, if no one else is helping, why should I? That would have been the easy way out. But instead, he paused and said to himself, Hashem gave me enough money to help these people. They need help now, and I can help them—so I am going to. With courage and determination, he called the platoon leader back and said, "I will cover the entire expense. Tell me where to send the check." Ralph later said he felt tremendous joy for overcoming that initial hesitation—the natural resistance that comes when giving, especially such a large amount at once. He felt he had truly been moser nefesh, placing his trust in Hashem and believing that Hashem values every effort done for His sake. Then something remarkable happened. Ralph is a retired war veteran who was injured while serving in Vietnam. For years, he had been receiving government compensation. The previous year, he had requested a reassessment of his benefits, explaining why he believed he was being underpaid—but his request was denied outright. Now, the very next day after he demonstrated such mesirut nefesh to pay for all the boots himself, he received an email from the veterans office. They had decided to reopen his case—without any new request from him. Upon review, they concluded that he was indeed entitled to a higher payment. Not only that, they backdated the increase, and within a few days, he received over twenty thousand dollars of completely unexpected funds. Ralph immediately understood that this was no coincidence. Why would they suddenly reopen a closed case without any prompting? Hashem was showing him clearly: you did not lose anything by giving for My sake. On the contrary, you gained far more than you could have imagined. Whenever we stretch ourselves to do what is right, even when it is difficult, it opens the door for greater berachah to flow down from Shamayim.