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… should they count in Heaven?
Example: A person has a terminal illness. While he didn’t turn his back on any mitzvos before his diagnosis, he rarely if ever went out of his way to do mitzvos. Now that he’s dying, however, he does as many mitzvos as possible — not because he’s truly interested in doing the mitzvos, but because he just wants to secure as large a reward in the afterlife as possible.
Of course, none of us are God and we don’t have access to His accounts — so we don’t know the answer in truth. However, I’m curious — what do you think? What if it were you “running the system?”
The Wolf
A person can do teshuva on his deathbed, and become a tzadik, even after a lifetime of evil.
It’s hard to believe that the person in your scenario, dying and doing as many mitzvos as possible, doesn’t truly regret his sins.
As long as there were no evil intentions, every mitzvah gets reward. Obviously, the highest level is to do mitzvos solely to fulfill Hashem’s will, but doing them for reward is also good; most of us probably do that anyway.
great question…he gets credit, but not as much…maybe half a point 🙂
there are many times people do good deeds for their own purposes. I am not talking so much about your example but such as giving tzedakah at a chinese auction. very few people are participating because it is a tzedakah event but rather because they want to win the prizes and they have to give tzedakah anyway so they may as well do it this way, but ultimately they are still doing a mitzva. I am sure they get credit for the mitzva that was done even though it was done for personal gain.
Wolf – Actually Chazal answered your question: “Mutav Sheh Lomaid Torah V’osek B’mitzovs shelo L’shma -she metoch shelolisma Boh lishma.” (It’s good to learn Torah and do Mitzvos without the proper intention, because even so eventually you’ll come to do them with the proper intention.) Your OP is a classic example.
My pet peeve is when people do things and talk it into themselves they are only doing it for good, but something evil comes out of it. Then they say- that outcome had nothing to do with them. Even if they truly meant it L’shem Shomayim- it’s even worse than the catergory of a Mitzvah Haboh B’aveira!
All good deeds get cheshboned in, regardless of intent. If you give tzedaka, but don’t really think about what you are doing, you still get the credit. It might be BETTER if you did it for the right reason, but much as kavana is a good thing for certain types of mitzvos, you still get brownie points for doing them. Do you think every guy who gets up to lay tefillin in shul on a freezing winter morning, WANTS to????? But still, he does it.
Every chessed I do is for a “selfish” reason. It makes me feel good. So I guess technically, I am not doing it l’shma. Does the fact that I derive a benefit make it any less worthy????
Oomis,
Well said; just one nitpick. The fellow who lays tefillin on a cold morning gets MORE s’char – l’fum tza’ara agra – and is less likely to be doing it for selfish reasons.
Wolf – I’ve been here too long. Even you have become predictable. I knew you were going to say that. While there are people (Mussar seforim) who do learn that it has to be a shelo lishma that can come to a lishma, your case is definitely one that can come. In other words, the actual type of proper intention can come. So if this second he means only for reward, the next second he can mean Lishma! It doesn’t even matter if he ever comes to lishma as long as his Shelo lishma was possible to come. Let me give you an example of shelo lishma that could never come to lishma (my own).
Tanach talks about Eliyahu and Har Carmel. Let’s say one guy says you know what I’m going over to help Eliyahu light his Mizbeach (altar) to sacrifice to Hashem. Ya’know why because I’m going to prove to everyone that there is No Hashem ch’vs and it’s only the Baal (Avodah Zora)! Because my sacrifice will never go up. Even though this guy is sacrificing to Hashem, his intention is so bad it will never come to Lishma. Like my example?
While Meshamshim Es Harav Shelo Al M’nas Lekabel Pras is a nice Madreiga, I never saw that referred to as Shelo Lishma. Shelo Lishma would be if he’s trying to impress his friends.
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