0ne day, Sholem Tatelman and his rabbi came to see Rabbi Eli Gutnik, a sofer working in Melbourne, Australia, for the purpose of buying a number of mezuzahs for his new home. The sofer gave Sholem his choice of two types of mezuzahs: standard mezuzahs, which would cost a total of $650, or higher quality mehudar mezuzahs, which would cost a total of $810.
Unsure which to choose, Sholem asked his rabbi for advice. His rabbi explained the idea of hiddur mitzvah-if you spend extra effort or money to beautify a mitzvah, “Hashem will repay you.” The rabbis words touched Sholem deeply. Without hesitation he wrote out a check for $810 for the mehudar mezuzahs.
Some weeks later, Sholem called the sofer to relate an amazing story. When he had come to buy mezuzahs for his new home, he was still in the process of putting his old home on the market.
Excitedly he said, “Initially, the real estate agents told me I could expect to get between $600,000 and $660,000 for my unit. Instead, my house sold for a whopping $810,000!”
A few hours after the auction, still stunned by his good fortune, Sholem was sitting at the upsherin of his rabbi’s son. It was there he remembered the words of his rabbi. “Hashem will repay you,” and realized the amount he received at the sale corresponded perfectly with the price of the mehudar mezuzahs. For the extra $160 he had spent on the mehudar mezuzahs, Hashem repaid him a thousand-fold!