You shall make for yourself twisted threads on the four corners of the garment which you cover yourself with. (Devarim 22:12)

I recently went to an airport and for my first time went through the new advanced imaging screening machine. This new process at airports taught me a lesson.

It used to be a person would walk through a metal detector and would need to remove all metal objects (keys, belt buckles, coins, etc.) Now, a person must totally empty his pockets and even take out non-metal objects. The lesson I took is this is what will happen when we leave this planet. We acquire many possessions while we live here on Earth, but we cannot take them with us. Once we are gone, what we have does not come to the Next World with us.

An extremely righteous multi-millionaire left two letters when he passed away. One was to read immediately and the other was to be read after 30 days. The first letter was opened right after he passed away and it stated this man wanted to be buried in his favorite pair of socks. According to Jewish law, a person is supposed to be buried barefoot, but also a person’s last wish is supposed to be fulfilled. A discussion broke out wondering what should be done. Finally, the Rav of the community stated the man could not be buried in his socks.

Thirty days later, the other letter was opened. It stated, “By now, you know that although I asked to be buried in my favorite pair of socks, my wish was not granted. We can all learn from this that when a person passes away, he cannot bring even a pair of socks with him.”

The verse quoted above from Devarim 22:12 talks about the mitzvah of tzitzis.

When the Vilna Gaon was lying on his deathbed, he lifted his tzitzis and began crying. He said in this world it is so easy to perform mitzvos and that he was soon going to a place where he could no longer do any more mitzvos. For example, it only costs a small amount of money to be able to buy tzitzis. Such an easy mitzvah to perform and the reward for this mitzvah can never be taken from the person.

When a person leaves this world, his physical possessions cannot come with him, but there is something coming with him. All of the mitzvos he performed as they cannot be taken from him, even when he is asked to empty his pockets.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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