Community Magazine September 2009

car, filled it with gas, opened the doors for them and gave them his full attention. Mitzvah Man discovered during that car ride that Hashem had answered one of his longtime prayers, to be able to do something kind for a Holocaust survivor. While talking to the couple during the trip, Mitzvah man learned that Rika is a survivor. This led to a meaningful and deep discussion. The experience was so rewarding for all that they repeated the trip the next day. “Every time I think of my son, a.h.,” Rika commented, “I think of the wonderful people who were there for me. What the Mitzvah Man did was unbelievable. He took from his time, his work, his money… I’ll never forget that.” The conversations that take place over the course of the missva missions are often life changing. “I visited a man with no vision,” Mitzvah Man recalls, “another who could not walk to shul, and another who had lost his memory. After these visits, my appre- ciation for having these faculties was heightened and my love of Hashem increased!” In truth, Mitzvah Man finds all the acts of hesed he performs to be immensely rewarding. “What can be a better feeling than knowing that you helped someone?!” Mitzvah Man asserts that the more one does for others, the more natural it becomes. Eventually, the tendency to help others becomes a part of the person’s being, transforming him or her into a new, better individual. Hesed Begins at Home Mitzvah Man often criticizes himself for beginning this work so late in his life, regretting all the hesed opportunities that he had missed. But then he immediately fights these negative thoughts and recognizes that he had spent those years taking care of his family and his business. “I do believe that hesed begins at home,” Mitzvah Man empha- sizes. “We should first take care of our parents, our children and our spouses. We need to examine how we treat the people that are in our lives. Call your grandparents, buy them flowers for Shabbat and ask if they need any errands done for them. Stand up for an elderly man that comes into shul. Imagine how the kavod makes him feel! Remember to smile at storekeepers and wish them a nice day. At the end of the day, evaluate your actions. Did you speak properly? Did you help anyone that day?” The Mitzvah Man keeps a hesed diary on his nightstand. In it he writes about the gratifying experiences that he had each day helping others. He hopes that one day the diary will serve as a source of inspiration for his children and grandchildren. A Glimpse into the Mitzvah Man’s Weekly Schedule A typical week in the life of the Mitzvah Man can include a host of extraordinary hesed activities: helping people get jobs, deliver- ing food for the poor, generating thousands of dollars for charity, convincing hundreds of people to give money to poor women sit- ting outside on the street, driving people to the clothing warehouse at Bikur Holim so they can receive free clothing, encouraging kids to make bikur holim visits, delivering a speech in school to inspire students to do hesed, visiting Camp Simcha (a camp for sick children), sending customers to struggling establishments, driving yeshiva boys to school or men to shul, visiting a blind man and reading to him, taking a crippled boy to shul and on bikur holim visits, taking elderly people grocery shopping, visiting the sick and visiting patients in a psychiatric hospital. Mitzvah Man finds time for all these kind deeds alongside a full-time work schedule, as Mitzvah Man runs a thriving business as well! The Mitzvah Man has made a habit of visiting Anita and Edward Bogupulsky. Edward is blind and the Mitzvah Man reads to him during their visits. “Usually, the Mitzvah Man calls on Friday mornings to make sure that he can come over that afternoon.” Anita explained, “One Friday he didn’t call and my husband was crestfallen. He kept asking if the Mitzvah Man had called yet. Then there was a knock at the door. The elation on my husband’s face as the Mitzvah Man walked into our home was very touching. Apparently, he had misplaced our number. I must tell you, the Mitzvah Man is such a good guy. I love him.” A certain ailing rabbi was in a rehabilitation home and wanted no visitors. He did not want anyone to see him so down and would tell anyone who attempted to see him to leave. One day, he saw the ad of the Mitzvah Man and was extremely moved by this novel idea. He told his family, “Bring me this man! This is who I want to visit me!” The visit lasted three hours and ended with an invitation to come back and learn Torah together. Though the Mitzvah Man does not actually wear a cape, a costume or a mask, his physical presence is nevertheless striking. And while his “secret identity” has been revealed to those who have sought his help, the mystique of the Mitzvah Man remains strong and fascinating for many. An Inspiration to Follow It is Mitzvah Man’s explicit intention to inspire jealousy – “spiri- tual jealousy” – that is! He claims that everyone has it within himself or herself to do good things for other people, but some just don’t know how. “When they see me, just a regular guy, doing something for someone else, they feel that they, too, can do for others. I love that I can lead by example and inspire people to do hesed.” Judy Tobal Betesh used to visit nursing homes and hospitals with friends when she was younger, but several years later, she was hesitant to make these visits alone. All of that changed one day when she needed help moving heavy things over to Bikur Holim and the Mitzvah Man answered her call. “Seeing that the Mitzvah Man is just a regular person trying to do good for others was extremely inspir- ing.” Judy said. “After he left, I emailed Ralph Shamah, who I know has a Bikur Holim visiting list, and got myself started.” “As we take upon ourselves more acts of hesed, we will inevitably inspire our children, by a living example, on the right way to behave,” the Mitzvah Man asserts. “They will grow up with more compassion and values, thinking of other people’s needs before their own. What better inheritance can we leave them?” The Mitzvah Man does not actually wear a cape, costume or mask. He sets out in a simple cap with the words “Mitzvah Man” printed neatly across the front, and passionately seeks opportunities to help others. While his “secret identity” has been revealed to those who have sought his help, the mystique of the Mitzvah Man remains strong and fascinating for many. Through his ventures, he has proven that good intentions and effort is really all you need to fulfill the very important missva of hesed. Due to the overwhelming response, the Mitzvah Man is looking for volunteers to assist him, as the Mitzvah Man is not always available. Please call 732-259-4526 or log on to www.Mitzvah-Man.org. Mitzvah Man is available in Brooklyn September thru June and in Deal for the summer. 72 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE