The unusual trajectory of the life of Rav Leibel Eiger (1816–1888) was unforeseen at the outset
I was asked by the holy and honorable Rav Yehuda Leib Eiger shlita, to evaluate his practice of engaging in lengthy, holy preparations prior to performing a mitzvah, as was the way of the early chassidim, in order to properly discharge the mitzvah obligation in kedushah and taharah. This understandably takes a significant amount of time. When he is asked to serve as a mohel and sandek for a bris milah, he engages in lengthy preparations and only executes the mitzvah after midday chatzos.…
His question is therefore twofold: Is it permitted to engage in this practice, or must he perform the mitzvah earlier, without the requisite preparation? And is it permitted for a baal bris to request that he serve as mohel, since there are other mohalim in Lublin who would perform the bris in the morning?
I answer as follows. It is a simple and obvious fact, on which all the poskim concur, that it is preferable to perform a mitzvah in the most ideal fashion. It is therefore a mitzvah min hamuvchar when it is carried out after a thorough preparation.…
This holy individual is well known as one whose thoughts and deeds are always completely l’Sheim Shamayim. His focus on his preparations throughout the time leading up to the mitzvah actually fulfills the requirement of zerizin makdimin l’mitzvos. Zerizin in this context means to be a zariz in one’s preparation for the mitzvah. That his actual performance of the mitzvah is delayed by several hours isn’t due to negligence or unnecessary delay, but rather because of his zerizus in the proper preparations.
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