Can a Good Intention Count as a Mitzvah? Rabbeinu Bachya’s Powerful Teaching

"Then you shall speak and say before the Lord your God: 'An Aramean sought to destroy my father, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation'" (Deuteronomy 26:5).

Rabbeinu Bachya explains a remarkable principle through this verse, one that can deepen our appreciation for the kindness God shows us. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good."

According to Rabbeinu Bachya, Onkelos understands the words Arami oved avi, "An Aramean sought to destroy my father," as referring to Lavan's intention to harm Yaakov. Lavan ultimately did not succeed because God intervened and warned him not to harm Yaakov. Nevertheless, because Lavan intended to destroy him, the Torah speaks of his intention as though he had actually carried it out.

Rabbeinu Bachya writes:

"The view of Onkelos regarding the word oved is that it refers to Lavan, because Lavan sought to destroy our father Yaakov, had the word of God not come to him and said, 'Beware lest you speak with Yaakov either good or bad' (Genesis 31). Although he did not destroy him, since he sought to destroy him, Scripture considers it as though he had done so."

Rabbeinu Bachya connects this with a principle taught by our Sages: when a non-Jew intends to commit a transgression, even if he does not ultimately carry it out, God may regard the intention as though the act had been committed. Lavan's intention to harm Yaakov is presented as an example of this principle.

What About the Intention to Perform a Mitzvah?

Rabbeinu Bachya then discusses the reverse situation. If a non-Jew intends to perform a mitzvah but does not actually carry it out, the intention alone is not credited as an accomplished deed.

He derives this from the Book of Daniel, explaining that the good deed is not counted until it is actually performed:

"If a non-Jew intended to perform a mitzvah but did not do it, it is not recorded until he performs it, as it says, 'Until sunset he exerted himself to save him' (Daniel 6). God did not count it for him until he performed it."

In other words, according to this teaching, when it comes to a mitzvah, the actual deed is decisive.

Can a Good Thought Become a Mitzvah?

Regarding the Jewish people, however, Rabbeinu Bachya describes a strikingly different principle.

If a Jew thinks about committing a sin but does not actually carry it out, God does not generally count the thought as though the sin had been committed. Rabbeinu Bachya cites the verse in Micah describing those who devise wrongdoing and then act upon it, indicating a distinction between thought and deed.

He also quotes King David in Psalms: "Had I regarded iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalms 66).

Rabbeinu Bachya writes: "But if a Jew intended to commit a transgression and did not do it, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not record it until he actually does it."

The principle becomes even more remarkable when applied to mitzvot. When a Jew sincerely intends to perform a mitzvah but is ultimately unable to carry it out, God can credit the intention as though the mitzvah had been performed.

Rabbeinu Bachya points to King David as an example. David deeply desired and intended to build the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, but he was not the one who ultimately constructed it. His son Shlomo built the Temple.

Nevertheless, the Temple is associated with David in Psalms: "A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House of David" (Psalms 30).

Rabbeinu Bachya notes that the verse does not say "of Shlomo," despite the fact that Shlomo actually built the Temple. Instead, it says "of David." The Midrash explains that because David sincerely desired and planned to build the Temple, his intention was credited to him as though he had participated in its construction.

It is an extraordinary expression of Divine kindness. A person may sincerely want to perform a mitzvah and make every effort to do so, only to find that circumstances beyond his control prevent him from completing it.

From the outside, it may appear that nothing was accomplished. But God sees more than the final result. He sees the desire, the intention, and the heart behind it. Sometimes, in the eyes of Heaven, a sincere desire to do good is itself counted as an accomplishment.