The Egg That Opened the Gates of Heaven

The Chofetz Chaim, one of the great Torah sages of recent generations, would often remind people that the only possessions we truly keep forever are our spiritual ones—the reward for our Torah learning and mitzvot (commandments) done in this world. These are the only things that stay with a person after they leave this world, accompanying them to the World of Truth.

This is what the verse means when it says, “A man's sacred gifts shall be his”—only a person’s spiritual acts remain truly theirs. All the material things we chase after—wealth, status, possessions—are temporary. As the verse says, “For in his death he shall take nothing, his glory shall not descend after him.” In one moment, everything a person owns can be taken from them. But the good deeds they did? Those are eternal.

If we really understood this, how much more would we treasure every act of kindness, every mitzvah, every minute spent learning Torah? These are the eternal riches that build up a person’s soul and stand by their side in the Heavenly Court.

The Midrash says something beautiful about the verse, “How beautiful are your footsteps in sandals.” It teaches us how great is the reward for even polishing one’s shoes in honor of Shabbat—the weekly day of rest and holiness. When a person reaches the World of Truth and sees the reward given for what seems like such a small act, they’ll feel deep regret for all the mitzvot they could’ve done with little effort but didn’t. This teaches us that even the smallest mitzvah has huge spiritual value. We just need to open our eyes to it.

Rabbi Gold shares a powerful story from the book Me'am Loez (on Parshat Masei) about a man who had lived a life distant from righteousness. Throughout his days, he had not walked the path of Torah and mitzvot. But at the end of his life, something surprising happened.

As he lay on his deathbed, he asked for a soft-boiled egg. They brought it to him—but just then, a poor man appeared at the door, clearly weak and hungry. Without hesitation, the dying man said, “Give the egg to the poor man.” And with that, he passed away.

Three days later, he appeared to his son in a dream. His message was unforgettable:

“My dear son, give charity throughout your life, and you will inherit eternal life. All my life, I gave almost nothing. But before I died, I gave that one egg to a hungry man—and that single act tipped the scale. "It gave him a chance at life, and because of that, I was blessed with the privilege to enter Gan Eden (paradise)."

One egg. One simple act of kindness. And it changed the story of an entire soul.

May we learn from this just how precious even our smallest mitzvot are. They are not just deeds—they are treasures that last forever.

Courtesy of the Dirshu website.