Reply To: Short & Sweet

Vayikra: Mitzva Not To Do

The Torah uses an interesting turn of phrase when discussing one who has accidentally sinned and needs to bring a Korban. It says one who has transgressed אחת ממצות ה׳ אשר לא תעשינה, which literally translates into “one of the Mitzvos of Hashem, which you are not to do”. Why do we refer to this as a mitzva, rather than an aveira?

R’ Moshe Shternbuch sees here an allusion to what the Gemara tells us in Kidushin: ישב ולא עבר עבירה, נותנים לו שכר כעושה מצוה. If somebody is tempted to do something wrong buts holds themselves back, they are considered to have done a positive deed.

Every human being wants to feel like they are accomplishing something. If we view the מצות לא תעשה as just pitfalls that we must keep ourselves from falling into, it can be hard to stay motivated day in and day out. This is particularly true of issurim that we have previously failed to properly adhere to.

But if we view every act of restraint as being an accomplishment, we can be much more motivated to fight the temptation to do something wrong. Each small act of restraint is a full Mitzva – an achievement of its own, and a success worth being proud of.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום