Photo Credit: Jewish Press

For example, if a person tries to put on pasul tefillin (not aware that they are pasul) and is prevented from doing so for reasons beyond his control, he doesn’t receive credit for putting on tefillin. He receives credit only for the deed he tried to do – which, in this case, was putting on pasul tefillin.

Now we can understand why Yirmiyahu asked Hashem to arrange that the recipients of the tzedakah of Anasos’ residents should not be poor people. Giving money to someone who is not a pauper is not a mitzvah. If a person attempts to do that act, he is not trying to perform an act which is actually a mitzvah – and therefore receives no credit for it.

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Rabbi Raphael Fuchs
Rabbi Fuchs learned in Yeshivas Toras Moshe, where he became a close talmid of Rav Michel Shurkin, shlit”a. While he was there he received semicha from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, shlit”a. He then learned in Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn, and became a close talmid of Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, zt”l. Rabbi Fuchs received semicha from the Mirrer Yeshiva as well. After Rav Shmuel’s petira Rabbi Fuchs learned in Bais Hatalmud Kollel for six years. He is currently a Shoel Umaishiv in Yeshivas Beis Meir in Lakewood, and a Torah editor and weekly columnist at The Jewish Press.