Hidur Mitzvah: Beautifying the Performance of Commandments

עׇזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה        זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ        אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃

Yah is my strength and might, And has become my deliverance. This is my God whom I will enshrine; The God of my father, whom I will exalt.

כְּמַאן אָזְלָא הָא דְּתַנְיָא: לוּלָב מִצְוָה לְאוֹגְדוֹ, וְאִם לֹא אֲגָדוֹ — כָּשֵׁר. אִי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, כִּי לֹא אֲגָדוֹ אַמַּאי כָּשֵׁר? אִי רַבָּנַן, אַמַּאי מִצְוָה? לְעוֹלָם רַבָּנַן הִיא, וּמִשּׁוּם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ״ — הִתְנָאֶה לְפָנָיו בְּמִצְוֹת.

The Gemara asks: In accordance with whose opinion is that which is taught in this baraita: There is a mitzva to bind the myrtle and the willow with the lulav. And if he did not bind it, it is fit. If the baraita is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, when one did not bind it, why is it fit? If it is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis, why is there a mitzva to bind it at all? The Gemara answers: Actually, it is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis. And the reason that there is a mitzva to bind it is due to the fact that it is stated: “This is my God and I will glorify Him [ve’anvehu]” (Exodus 15:2), which they interpreted to mean: Beautify yourself [hitna’e] before Him in the performance of the mitzvot. The Rabbis agree that although failure to bind the three species does not render them unfit for the mitzva, the performance of the mitzva is more beautiful when the lulav is bound.

דְּתַנְיָא: ״זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ״, הִתְנָאֵה לְפָנָיו בְּמִצְוֹת: עֲשֵׂה לְפָנָיו סוּכָּה נָאָה, וְלוּלָב נָאֶה, וְשׁוֹפָר נָאֶה, צִיצִית נָאָה, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה נָאֶה, וּכְתוֹב בּוֹ לִשְׁמוֹ בִּדְיוֹ נָאֶה, בְּקוּלְמוֹס נָאֶה, בְּלַבְלָר אוּמָּן, וְכוֹרְכוֹ בְּשִׁירָאִין נָאִין. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר: ״וְאַנְוֵהוּ״ — הֱוֵי דּוֹמֶה לוֹ, מָה הוּא חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם — אַף אַתָּה הֱיֵה חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם.

What is the source for the requirement of: “This is my God and I will glorify Him”? As it was taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “This is my God and I will glorify Him [anveihu], the Lord of my father and I will raise Him up.” The Sages interpreted anveihu homiletically as linguistically related to noi, beauty, and interpreted the verse: Beautify yourself before Him in mitzvot. Even if one fulfills the mitzva by performing it simply, it is nonetheless proper to perform the mitzva as beautifully as possible. Make before Him a beautiful sukka, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar, beautiful ritual fringes, beautiful parchment for a Torah scroll, and write in it in His name in beautiful ink, with a beautiful quill by an expert scribe, and wrap the scroll in beautiful silk fabric. Abba Shaul says: Ve’anveihu should be interpreted as if it were written in two words: Ani vaHu, me and Him [God]. Be similar, as it were, to Him, the Almighty: Just as He is compassionate and merciful, so too should you be compassionate and merciful. In any case, there is no proof from Rabbi Yishmael’s statement with regard to the Paschal lamb that he would say the same with regard to circumcision, as in that case, he might agree that fulfilling the mitzva beautifully justifies overriding Shabbat.

אֶלָּא אָמַר רַבִּי זֵירָא: בְּהִידּוּר מִצְוָה – עַד שְׁלִישׁ בְּמִצְוָה. בָּעֵי רַב אָשֵׁי: שְׁלִישׁ מִלְּגָיו, אוֹ שְׁלִישׁ מִלְּבַר? תֵּיקוּ. בְּמַעְרְבָא אָמְרִי מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי זֵירָא: עַד שְׁלִישׁ – מִשֶּׁלּוֹ. מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ – מִשֶּׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Rather, what Rabbi Zeira said is that for the embellishment of the performance of a mitzva, e.g., to purchase a more beautiful item used in the performance of a mitzva, one should spend up to one-third more than the cost of the standard item used to perform the mitzva. Rav Ashi raises a dilemma: How is this one-third calculated? Is it one-third from within, i.e., he calculates the cost of a standard item, adds one-third of that value, and spends the total on purchasing a more beautiful item; or is it one-third from without, i.e., one-third of the sum he ultimately spends should be the additional sum added in order to purchase a more beautiful item? The Gemara concludes: The dilemma shall stand unresolved. In the West, Eretz Yisrael, they say in the name of Rabbi Zeira: Of the money one spends on purchasing a more beautiful item to perform a mitzva, up to one-third more than the cost of a standard item comes from his own finances, but from this point forward, any additional sum spent on purchasing a more beautiful item comes from the largesse of the Holy One, Blessed be He, i.e., God will reimburse him for spending that additional sum.

אֲפִלּוּ עָנִי שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יֹאכַל עַד שֶׁיָּסֵב. אִשָּׁה אֵינָהּ צְרִיכָה הֲסִיבָה. וְאִם אִשָּׁה חֲשׁוּבָה הִיא צְרִיכָה הֲסִיבָה. וּבֵן אֵצֶל אָבִיו וְהַשַּׁמָּשׁ בִּפְנֵי רַבּוֹ צְרִיכִין הֲסִיבָה. אֲבָל תַּלְמִיד בִּפְנֵי רַבּוֹ אֵינוֹ מֵסֵב אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן נָתַן לוֹ רַבּוֹ רְשׁוּת. וַהֲסִיבַת יָמִין אֵינָהּ הֲסִיבָה. וְכֵן הַמֵּסֵב עַל עָרְפּוֹ אוֹ עַל פָּנָיו אֵין זוֹ הֲסִיבָה. וְאֵימָתַי צְרִיכִין הֲסִיבָה בִּשְׁעַת אֲכִילַת כְּזַיִת מַצָּה וּבִשְׁתִיַּת אַרְבָּעָה כּוֹסוֹת הָאֵלּוּ. וּשְׁאָר אֲכִילָתוֹ וּשְׁתִיָּתוֹ אִם הֵסֵב הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח וְאִם לָאו אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ:

Even one of Israel's poor should not eat until he [can] recline. A woman need not recline. If she is an important woman, she must recline. [Even] a son in the presence of his father or an attendant in the presence of his master must recline. However, a student before his teacher should not recline unless his teacher grants him permission. Reclining on one's right side is not considered reclining. Neither is reclining on one's back or forwards. When must one recline? when eating the כזית of matzah and when drinking these four cups of wine. While eating and drinking at other times: if one reclines, it is praiseworthy; if not, there is no requirement.

קנה אתרוג שראוי לצאת בו ומצא אחר נאה ממנו מצוה להוסיף עד שליש בדמי הראשון כדי להחליפו ביותר נאה:

אם קנה אתרוג שראוי לצאת בו בצמצום כגון שהוא כביצה מצומצמת ואח"כ מצא גדול ממנו מצוה להוסיף עד שליש מלגיו בדמי הראשון כדי להחליפו ביותר נאה ויש מי שאומר שאם מוצא שני אתרוגים לקנות והאחד הדור מחבירו יקח ההדר אם אין מייקרים אותו יותר משליש מלגיו בדמי חבירו: הגה מי שאין לו אתרוג או שאר מצוה עוברת אין צריך לבזבז עליה הון רב וכמו שאמרו המבזבז אל יבזבז יותר מחומש אפי' מצוה עוברת [הרא"ש ורבינו ירוחם נ"י ח"ב] ודוקא מצות עשה אבל לא תעשה יתן כל ממונו קודם שיעבור [הרשב"א וראב"ד] [וע' לקמן סוף סי' תרנ"ח בהגה]:

However, regarding a negative mitzvah, one should spend all of their wealth rather than sin (Rashb"a and Raavad). See the end of 658 in the Rama.