BAALEI TZEDEKA

"Whoever passes up a chance to perform a Mitzvah with his friends,will suffer grief and shame when he sees what a reward he missed."   

                                         

                                                     

Observe what we find written in the Torah:"And next to them the Tekoites built,but their nobles did not assist in their master's work"[Nehemiah 3:5]{The verse refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile}.

Rashi explains that "their nobles" i.e.the wealthy men of the city of Tekoa,did not assist in God's work,building the walls of the city.Now,When you stop to think of it,what greater eternal shame could there be?

All of the angels above as well as all of mankind are aware that the wealthy man of Tekoa did not wish to assist in the building of the House of  of their master God.They surely feel great remorse for this now,but there is nothing they can do to make up for it.

The situation of the rich men of Tekoa really describes what happens to anyone who passes up any Mitzvah that his friends have taken up,and he had the chance to join them but he was too lazy to do so.How much anguish this will ultimately cause him.When he dies he will find all his friends enjoying the splendorous glory shinning forth from the good deed that they fulfilled.Only he will lack this pleasure.Concerning him,Our Sages say in Tractate Berachos:"'That which is crooked cannot be mended'(Kohelet 1:5).This refers to someone whose friends participated in some lofty good deed in which he did not participate."

                                                                               (Shem Olam,Chapter 17)