And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him: for he had made them take an oath on the children of Yisra᾽el, saying, God will surely redeem you; and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you. (Shemos 13:19)

The Sages taught in the Tosefta (4:6–7): Come and see how beloved mitzvot are to Moses our teacher. As, at the time of the Exodus, all the Jewish people were involved in taking the plunder from Egypt, and he was involved in the performance of mitzvot, as it is stated: “The wise in heart will take mitzvot” (Proverbs 10:8). Sota 13a

There is a famous question about the Bnei Yisrael at the Yam Suf.  After crossing, while the Bnei Yisrael were busy collecting the spoils of the Egyptians – riches many times greater than what they had taken when they left Egypt – Moshe Rabbeinu was occupied with exhuming and taking care of the coffin of Yosef. Chazal tell us “Chacham lev yikach mitzvos” – a person with a wise heart involves himself with mitzvos. That is why Moshe was involved with Yosef’s coffin, and not the spoils. He was fulfilling the oath which Yosef had made the Bnei Yisrael swear – to bring his remains up to Eretz Yisrael.

The question is asked: Once Moshe Rabbeinu had commanded the Bnei Yisrael to collect the booty, that became a mitzvah as well. So why is Moshe singled out as “Chacham lev…”? Weren’t the Bnei Yisrael also performing a mitzvah, so they would also be “Chachmei lev…”!

Many answers have been offered. One explanation is that it is preferable to engage in a mitzvah that brings the least personal pleasure, which makes it a purer and more elevated mitzvah to be involved in. However, on that answer I saw the following question: Isn’t it actually easier to do a mitzvah for the sake of heaven when there is no physical pleasure involved? By that logic, Moshe’s involvement in Yosef’s remains, devoid of personal gain, should be considered a smaller mitzvah than the Bnei Yisrael’s collection of the booty (assuming they did it for heaven’s sake).

I came across a fascinating answer. Generally, when the Torah gives us a commandment, the obligation is very clear and direct. But regarding the booty, the Torah says “dabeir na” – “please speak to” the Egyptians. The word “na” (please) makes it sound like a request – not a commandment. This means that it was optional; the Bnei Yisrael could choose to do it or not. However, Moshe’s taking Yosef’s remains was an explicit oath, therefore a divine obligation. We therefore return to the original simple understanding: Moshe was involved in a true mitzvah while everyone else was involved in something optional.

This is relevant to our own lives. Often, we do mitzvos from which we get some worldly benefit, and when we do these mitzvos, we convince ourselves that we are doing Hashem’s Will. In truth, to a greater or lesser degree, we may be caught up in our own pursuit of pleasure.

I would like to point out one particular mitzvah that many of us could strengthen. Chazal tell us that on Shabbos we are supposed to eat enjoyable meals. Chazal also tell us that Shabbos is meant to be dedicated to learning Torah. Perhaps we could all benefit from a dose of Chacham lev yikach mitzvos – investing a bit more time in our Torah learning, and less in eating. If one is worried that cutting back on the food may diminish their mitzvah of oneg Shabbos, don’t be concerned. The Yetzer Hara will make sure that is taken care of.