Candle

How does it work when we do something positive as a zechus for someone else? If they benefit, do we lose out on our reward?

The mitzvos we do are compared to a candle. Like it says, "Ner Mitzvah v'Torah Ohr." 

In the same way that a candle does not lose any of its own light when used to ignite the flame of another candle, when we do mitzvos to benefit someone else, they gain and so do we. They get the spiritual benefit of our good deed and we also get rewarded for the good that we did.

This is how we can do mitzvos as a zechus for the neshama of someone close to us to go higher in gan eden. When we do the mitzvah, whatever it is, tzeddakah, tehillim, chessed, refraining from doing something not-so-good, their neshama gets elevated in shamayim. At the same time, we get the spiritual benefit of doing that act. We grow in our middos and build up a storehouse of reward that will wait for us.

That is the beauty of a candle! It can bring light to others and brighten our own life. And every mitzvah we do for a neshama lifts them up higher. It's like sending a present to them in shamayim. And we don't lose out one bit. We gain from the mitzvah too.

May you be able to use your time in this world to bring light and blessing into the lives of everyone you know. May the zechusim you do for others bring light into your own life while enlightening theirs!