Reply To: Issurei Hannah

” If the pyromaniac gets pleasure from it, he’s just enjoying the mitzvah. Just because he would also enjoy burning newpapers wouldn’t make any difference.”

Except that with going to a mikva in the summer it WOULD make a difference See YD 221:13. (I wasnt sure when I first wrote the OP but deriving physical benefit from doing a mitzva is in fact assur with issurei haanah, AS DY explained it is only the actual mitzva that isnt condsidered a benefit) Although the fellow is enjoying the mitzvah of mikva since he is ALSO enjoying/deriving benefit from the cool water in the summer it is assur for him to use a issur haanaah. EXACTLY because he would also enjoy another cool spring.

Thus is a fellow enjoys burning things like newspapers, than it WOULD make a difference.
IF it is comparable. IT very well may be that the “pleasure” from burning is different than the “beneift” from a mikva. but the fact that ” he would also enjoy burning newpapers ” very much might make a difference