Every Effort Counts

Every Effort Counts

Update: 2025-09-01
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Every good deed and every effort we make is recognized and cherished by Hashem. Sometimes He even shows us this so clearly that we cannot miss it. A story began over a year ago with two single girls who undertook to learn a sefer on emunah every night together as a zechut to get engaged. They finished the book, but nothing seemed to change. Instead of giving up, they began the next volume. This time, on the fortieth day of their reading, one of the girls started dating the boy who would eventually become her husband. On the very day they became engaged, the title of the lesson they were up to in the emunah book was "Yirmiyahu's Blessing." Amazingly, her c hatan's name was Yirmiyahu. They continued their nightly emunah learning even after the first girl was married. Recently, a year later, the second girl also got engaged. Incredibly, the night before her engagement, the lesson they learned mentioned a shul by name — "Yeshu'at Yaakov." The very next day she got engaged to a boy whose name was Yaakov Yeshu'a. Hashem made it so obvious to them that He valued their nightly learning. The salvation did not come immediately, but they persisted. Of course, the greatest gift they received was not only the engagement itself, but the emunah they gained through their dedication. Another story was told to me by a man named David. Last year, when it appeared that his father, Raymond, had only a few days to live, David wanted to bring him some joy. Since Raymond loved music, David arranged for a friend to bring an instrument to play for him. They could not find a singer, so the friend suggested playing recordings of Chazzan Moshe Dwek, whose voice matched beautifully with his instrument. Raymond enjoyed the music immensely. Sadly, he passed away a few days later. Afterward, someone pointed out an astonishing detail: years earlier, when Moshe Dwek himself was ill in the hospital, Raymond had been at his side, lifting his spirits and giving him c hizuk . Now, even after Moshe Dwek had passed away, Hashem arranged that his recordings would soothe Raymond in his final days — a beautiful circle of kindness repaid. There was also a man, Yehuda, who shared a remarkable story about someone in his community, whom we'll call Reuven. Reuven was in need of a yeshu'ah and was advised by a rabbi to make sure he always invited guests for Shabbat and Yom Tov meals. From that point on, he worked hard to ensure he always had guests. That year, just two days before Pesah, Yehuda received a call asking if he knew of anyone who could host new neighbors for the Seder. These neighbors were not religious and lived close by — if the host lived far, they might end up driving, which would be a tragedy on Yom Tov. Yehuda immediately thought of Reuven and called him. Reuven was thrilled — for the first time since he had started hosting, he had not been able to find guests. This was his chance. Even more remarkable, when Yehuda asked where he lived in relation to the new neighbors, Reuven answered that he was just two houses away. Hashem had arranged the perfect match: Reuven's desire to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim was met by the need of the new neighbors. Every act, every mitzvah, every ounce of effort we put forth is treasured by Hashem. Sometimes He shows us directly just how much He values it — reminding us that nothing we do for Him ever goes unnoticed.
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Every Effort Counts

Every Effort Counts

Rabbi David Ashear