Community Magazine September 2009

Who is Mitzvah Man ? O ne can almost hear the swish of the cape as Mitzvah Man goes about his daily routine of good deeds, helping the needy, banishing selfishness and inspiring others to rise up and spread the good will. Just two years ago, the Mitzvah Man was just an ordinary guy, running a small business and raising a mainstream Syrian Jewish family. He had been attending Torah classes regularly and began to ask himself some serious, soul-searching questions. What is life all about? What is man’s purpose? Over the course of several months his conclusions became abundantly clear: Hashem, our creator, wants us to learn Torah, pray, and do hesed (acts of kindness). Wanting to fulfill his hesed obligation at the highest possible standard, he began thinking of ways to achieve this goal. At first he thought he needed a lot of money to excel in hesed, but soon he realized that he could simply use his body, his car, his ingenuity and his time. Then he hesitated once again, worried that perhaps he needed to grow more in his Torah knowledge before he set out to do for others. Thankfully, this hesitation was short lived as he decided that he could not take his present ability to help others for granted. He would begin his hesed campaign right away. Miztvah Man employed a unique, almost revolutionary approach to hesed. He began with an anonymous advertising campaign in local Sephardic publications (including this one) to solicit opportu- nities to help people. Under the alias “Mitzvah Man,” he advertised his willingness to drive people to doctor appointments, visit the sick or elderly and perform errands for those who cannot do so for themselves. Then, he waited anxiously by the phone. The first few phone calls were congratulatory and filled with praise for his selfless endeavor. “But I didn’t do anything yet!” he would protest. Much to Mitzvah Man’s chagrin, the traffic was slow in the begin- ning – just as it is for any new enterprise. But now, some two years later, with Gd’s help, the Mitzvah Man “business” is booming! Wholesale Hesed Though Mitzvah Man never charges recipients of his kindness – not even for expenses, like gas – he does in some ways operate like a business. He continues to advertise his services, he keeps records of “transactions” so that he can inspire others, and he is now seek- ing to “sub-contract” requests for Mitzvah Man help when he is unavailable. But perhaps the biggest similarity of all, is how he gets excited when activity heats up. Picture a wholesaler making a huge sale that promises a hefty profit. Imagine the joy, excitement and enthusiasm with which he starts working on filling the order. It is with that same energy and his adrenaline pumping, that the Mitzvah Man eagerly jumps up to attend to his hesed opportunities. “A person is presented with hesed opportunities each day,” the Mitzvah Man contends. “He has three choices on how to respond to these daily chances to do a missva. He can pass it up, take on the challenge, or, best of all, take on the challenge and do it to the fullest extent and to the very best of his ability. Mitzvah Man calls this option “taking it to the max!” “If someone is hurting,” he explains, “let’s say in business, don’t just feel bad and walk away. Try to imagine it’s you and your business. For example, I know a few men that are out of work. I call or email them weekly to check on them. They tell me that they never had anyone care about them so much and that my care keeps them going and gives them strength. Two men I know began new businesses. I helped them print up business cards and I advertise for them whenever I can. One of my first missva calls was from a man who was out of work, so I made a few phone calls right away and set up a few interviews for him.” The Giver Gains More Interestingly, the Mitzvah Man feels certain that he is gaining more than the recipient of his deeds. “When you do hesed, everyone wins. Especially the giver,” he said. One missva that Mitzvah Man remembers with a great sense of satisfaction was when he and 25 other men walked to the the Sephardic Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Cropsy Avenue one Shabbat to pray with the seniors and a friend who was ill. “No one goes to visit these seniors on Shabbat. Every week they pray alone. It is very quiet there. We lit up the whole place!” Another one of Mitzvah Man’s most heartwarming opportunities was when he was called to drive Rika and Nathan a.h. Esses to visit their son who was hospitalized with advanced cancer. Mitzvah Man decided the night before that he would treat this couple as a king and queen and hopefully bring them some comfort. He cleaned his RENEE BEYDA 70 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE