Most of us are familiar with the concept of "zerizus," generally translated as, "performance of mitzvohs with alacrity." We tend to understand it to mean that beyond the actual obligation to fulfill the mitzva, one would receive "extra points" by immediately performing the mitzva. However the Mechilta, as Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner points out, suggests a deeper meaning. The Mechilta expounds upon a verse in this week's Parsha, "V'shamartem es hamatzos" "And you shall guard the matzos". Our sages tell us that the similar Hebrew lettering of "matzos" to "mitzvohs" in the verse, hints to a loftier concept. "Mi'kan she'ein machmitzin es hamitzvohs" "From here we learn that one should not let his mitzvohs become chometz." By not performing a mitzva right away, it becomes like chometz on Pesach. This comparison of non-immediate fulfillment of a mitzvah to chometz, implies that there is an actual defect in the mitzvah. Why is this?
Rabbi Hutner tells us that to comprehend this concept, we must first discard our pre-conceived notions as to what zerizus is. For if all zerizus means is rushing to do something, the "rushing" to do a mitzvah would be no different then the "rushing" to go to work. We do see a hint of a loftier meaning in an interesting Gemara in Eiruvin (100b). The Gemara there lists various animals, from whom, we are able to learn certain positive character traits even if the Torah had not been given. Rabbi Hutner asks, why does the Gemara omit learning how not to be lazy from an ant, when a verse in Mishlei clearly advises one to do so? It seems that without Torah knowledge, learning how not to be lazy from an ant would not be possible. What does this mean?
The path to understanding zerizus is through a parable explaining a verse in Koheles. The verse states "Hanefesh lo simalei," "The soul never senses fulfillment." This is comparable to a princess who marries a commoner. The commoner never having been exposed to a royal lifestyle, lacks the ability to fully comprehend and fulfill his wife's wishes. So too one's soul, stemming from an infinite and loftier world, will never be satisfied by the pettiness of our physical world.
The Vilna Gaon writes that the words of our daily prayer "Baruch She'amar" reference two physical creations - the universe and time. That being the case, our souls reject not only the physicality of the universe, but time as well. Coming from a world without time, it is our soul's deepest desire to fulfill its spiritual desires, i.e. mitzvohs, without the limitations of time. Doing a mitzvah with a sense of urgency demonstrates a sincere desire to break the shackles of time and fulfill the mitzvah in its true spiritual element, beyond time. That is the meaning of zerizus.
We can now turn back to the ant. The Medrash tells us that an ant "only lives six months and only requires the total amount of a kernel and a half of wheat to sustain itself during that time. Yet it brings in hundreds of measures of wheat." An ant works much more than what it needs to exist. It lives a life beyond its existence. Only having learned what true zerizus is, can one now look at an ant and comprehend what the verse in Mishlei advises one to learn from the ant. Not to live for something more, traps the mitzvah within time, curtailing its true potential. It ruins the mitzvah.
The Maharal teaches us that the commandment to rush out of Egypt was to convey and internalize at the onset of Jewish Nationhood the eternity of the Jewish People. May we through our zerizus merit that eternity speedily in our day.