We all have. But did you know that, according to some interpretations, leaving a mitzvah – a good deed or commandment – unfinished can have serious consequences?

Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon, quoting Rabbi Yochanan in Bereshit Rabbah, paints a stark picture: "Anyone who begins a mitzvah and does not complete it, buries his wife and his children." Heavy stuff, right? Where does this idea come from? The story of Judah and Joseph.

Remember when Joseph's brothers, driven by jealousy, were plotting against him? Judah suggested selling Joseph instead of killing him. As Genesis 37:26 puts it, "Judah said to his brothers: What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?" But Rabbi Yochanan, as quoted in Bereshit Rabbah, points out that Judah should have done more. He should have taken Joseph all the way home to their father, Jacob. Judah started a process – saving Joseph’s life – but didn't complete it. And, according to this teaching, that incompleteness led to tragedy: the loss of his wife and children.

But there's another side to this coin. What happens when someone else finishes the mitzvah you started? Rav Huna, in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, offers a comforting thought: the credit goes to the one who completes it.

Think about Joseph's bones. Exodus 13:19 tells us that Moses took Joseph's bones with him when the Israelites left Egypt. So why does Joshua 24:32 say, "Joseph's bones, which the children of Israel took up"? Because Moses never made it into the Land of Israel. He started the mitzvah of bringing Joseph's remains to their final resting place, but the children of Israel – Joshua and the people – completed it. Therefore, the merit is attributed to them.

The Midrash illustrates this with a parable: Imagine robbers breaking into a wine cellar. They sample a fine jug of wine. The owner watches them and says, "May it be pleasant, enjoyable, and sweet for you. You drank the wine, now restore the jug to its place." Similarly, God says to the tribes, "You sold Joseph. Now, restore his bones to their place."

And there’s more to it. Joseph himself, in a subtle way, directed them. He instructed them to return him to the place from which they took him, asking, "Are your brothers not herding in Shekhem?" (Genesis 37:13). And that's precisely where the children of Israel buried Joseph's bones, as we read in Joshua 24:32: "Joseph's bones, which the children of Israel took up from Egypt, they buried in Shekhem."

So, what does all of this mean for us? Maybe it's a reminder to finish what we start, especially when it comes to acts of kindness and good deeds. But it's also a message of hope. Even if we can't complete a mitzvah ourselves, someone else can step in and finish the job. And their act of completion brings healing and restoration, not just for themselves, but perhaps for all those involved, even retroactively. Perhaps, it's also a reminder that even from the darkest deeds, such as the selling of Joseph, good can ultimately come.