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Section: Taryag Mitzvos   Category: Mitzva Opportunity

The Chasam Sofer Closes A Good Deal

At the table of the Chasam Sofer sat a guest.  At the end of the meal the Chasam Sofer honored him with the Kos Shel Bracha for Birchas HaMazon.  Upon giving him this honor, the Chasam Sofer enthusiastically mentioned the words of the gemara (Chulin 87a), that a Kos Shel Bracha is worth 40 gold coins.  Upon hearing this, the guest joked that he's prefer the 40 gold coins.  Immediately the Chasam Sofer took back the Kos and took out a bag a gold coins.  After counting 40 of them and handing it over to his guest, he started Birchas HaMazon. The value of even the smallest mitzva is not comparable to any worldly sum.  If Chazal put a price tag on it for whatever reason, you can be sure that the one paying is getting a great bargain and the one giving it up is a fool.   The Chasam Sofer understood this and was willing to pay the price without thinking twice.  When a mitzva comes you way, grab it first and worry about the cost later.  Be it out of pocket cost or missed opportunity cost.  Even a minyan or even an Amein is something to give up lots of money for.  Eternity does not really have a price tag.  It is priceless. Although the ending of the story it is not relevant for our intelligent readers, nevertheless we will share it, just to appease curiosity.  The Meoros HaShabbos (vol. 5-Parshas Shemos) ends the story by saying that on the way out of town, the guest lost the 40 gold coins, teaching him not to cheapen mitzvos.

RELATED ARTICLES:birchas hamazon  Chasam Sofer  Kos Shel Bracha  mitzva

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Visitor Comments: 2 PL, ALBANY, 2009-01-21 10:25:44 Why isn't the end of the story 'relevant to your intelligent readers" and I really was not curious about the end ?! RE, 2009-01-21 11:04:49 We don't believe that something extraordinary has to happen in order to validate the Chasam Sofer's attitude. Even if the guest invested the money and made a fortune, the Chasam Sofer was still the winner and the guest was the loser.