You shall not see your brother’s ox or sheep straying and ignore them. Rather, you shall return them to your brother (Devarim 22:1)

Rashi points out that Chazal tell us even though one is not allowed to ignore a lost animal, there are actually times when a person should ignore them. Rashi then brings an example of a Cohain who sees a lost animal in a cemetery. Luckily Chazal specified that a Cohain should not get this lost animal or else he would be stuck in a dilemma. On one hand, he is not allowed to enter a cemetery because it will make him impure. On the other hand, he has a mitzvah to return a lost animal. What should he do? Chazal tell us that a person is not allowed to violate a commandment to perform a commandment.

What are the first four words that a person hears when he is a visitor in a shul? Usually they are, “Hello. How are you?” This is proper, but unfortunately, sometimes there are four other words which are the first ones a person hears. They are, “You’re in my seat.” The reason a person says this is a good reason – Halacha states that a person should have a Makom Kavua. This means that a person should daven in the same shul and the same place in that shul for all prayer services. This is an important halacha to follow, and therefore, the person who says “you’re in my seat” to a visitor has a good reason – he wants to carefully follow this halacha.

A person might think he should be commended for his strict following of the halacha, but if he really strictly followed the halacha, he would know that this is not the proper thing to say. Halacha clearly states that anywhere within 6-8 feet of your seat is still considered your Makom Kavua. Furthermore, you should not embarrass another person or make him feel unwelcome. Although a person does have a mitzvah of Makom Kavua, there is a stronger mitzvah of welcoming guests. There is a stronger mitzvah of bringing joy to other people. A person always needs to think about the full picture of what will happen when he performs a mitzvah. If it is going to cause a sin or the avoidance of a more important mitzvah then probably it should not be performed.

I remember many years ago on the first night of Selichos that someone arrived late. Selichos started around 1am and ended 45 minutes later so everyone was very tired. Well, this person who arrived late finished later than everyone else because he wanted to make sure to say the Selichos properly with much concentration. This is a very good thing… but he didn’t think about the person who had to stay to lock up the building. Also, he didn’t think of the people whose cars he blocked because his car was blocking one of the exits.

If a person doesn’t think before he does a mitzvah, he might actually be doing a sin. Think before you act and act wisely. Don’t perform a mitzvah which you will not get credit for.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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