JERUSALEM (VINnews) — During the days leading up to the Pesach holiday, the head of the Eda Charedis, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, personally handed out holiday support funds to the kollel students of his kollel “Teshuvot VeHanhagot.”

Rabbi Sternbuch requested to distribute the envelopes himself to the students immediately after delivering a halachic lecture to them at the end of the study term. Those present could not help but wonder why he did not spare himself the effort, especially given the heavy workload he carries during the busy Pesach period.

In response, Rabbi Sternbuch shared a powerful and moving story he had heard from Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky, a story that sheds a completely different light on the significance of every action in fulfilling a mitzvah. He said:

“Rabbi Abramsky told me that while he was in Vilna, he once looked through the ledger of the Chevra Kadisha and saw a recorded incident about the wife of the Vilna Gaon. She used to go with a friend to collect charity for the poor of the city. Over the years, the two agreed with a handshake that whoever passed away first would appear in a dream to the other and describe what happens in the World of Truth and how judgment is conducted there.

Years passed, and the friend died first. After some time, she appeared in a dream to the Vilna Gaon’s wife and told her that it is impossible to describe how exacting Heaven is regarding even the smallest actions, and that she was not permitted to reveal what takes place there. However, since she had made a promise, she was allowed to share one detail:

‘Do you remember that we were once on a certain street in Vilna and saw a poor man on the other side of the road? I motioned for him to come over so I could give him charity, and he came and was happy. Know that in Heaven they held me accountable for this: Why didn’t I make the effort to walk across the street myself to merit the mitzvah of going to the poor person? They said this showed a lack of appreciation for the value of mitzvot. That is how deep and awe-inspiring the judgment is.’

The next morning, the Vilna Gaon’s wife was shaken and told her husband about the dream. The Gaon instructed that the members of the Chevra Kadisha be called so they could hear the story and record it in their ledger for future generations, so that all would reflect on the depth of divine judgment. And indeed, it was written there: ‘By the instruction of the Vilna Gaon, we record this incident here.’

Rabbi Abramsky added,” concluded Rabbi Sternbuch, “that from then on, whenever he would send money to a poor person or an institution, he would make the effort to physically walk to the mailbox himself, so as not to lose the merit of exerting himself personally for the mitzvah.”

The resonating message from Rabbi Sternbuch was clear: when it comes to the mitzvah of charity, there is no substitute for personal effort. For him, the act of distribution is not merely technical, it is a rare opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah in its fullest sense, with personal involvement and dignity.