Written by: Rabbi Mordechai Raizman
In this week’s Torah portion Rashi teaches us about the concept of the mitzvah Gorreres which means that when one does one mitzvah it draws one to do another one afterwards. One who performs the mitzvah of Shiluach Hakan will have opportunities that follow it such as building a fence in a new home, even though these two mitzvos are not similar at all.
The question one needs to ask is how does this work. Just because one performs a good deed, how does a totally unrelated mitzvah follow that one? The answer is quite simple. There is a concept in sports when one is in the zone, a reference to when one player is focused on the game and performing at a high level. That is the same idea here.
When one is in the mode of performing mitzvos and seizing opportunities to serve Hashem, that person, shall we say, is in the mitzvah zone focused on getting closer to Hashem. No matter what the opportunity is, he/she grabs it and moves forward in his/her observance of mitzvos. Literally one mitzvah leads to another when one is in that frame of mind.
This time of year is a time to refocus and dedicate ourselves to growing in our mitzvah observance. Let us focus and rededicate ourselves to value all of the opportunities that come our way and to literally be in the mitzvah zone for the coming year.