Many people give their friends money to give to Tzedakah when they are traveling. The reason they do this is that it says "Shluchei Mitzva Ainom Nizakim". If someone is travelling to Eretz Yisroel which is in itself a Mitzva - or to do a different Mitzva is there still a need for Shliach Mitzva money?

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Gershon, I am very tempted to shoot from the hip and answer with sevaros, but I know that there are plenty of commentaries on this sugya. One thing to think about- Shluchei Mitzvah are people sent to do someone else's mitzvah, not their own. Nowhere is there a promise that "osei Mitzvah einan nizokin". Perhaps the key is in the fact that Shluchei mitzvah are acting for someone else's cheshbon and not their own. – Yahu Nov 2 '10 at 6:28
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I don't know that this diyuk is correct. In Pesachim 8a-b the Gemara cites this adage in connection with searching for chametz, Shmuel's going to anoint David, and aliyah leregel; in all of these the person is performing his own mitzvah (and is thereby a shliach of Hashem). – Alex Dec 9 '10 at 18:02
Sh'muel was more of a shaliach than most ose mitzva. – msh210 Dec 9 '10 at 22:09
True, but the person searching for chametz is not. – Alex Dec 10 '10 at 4:46
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Maybe we can derive something about this from the episode where Hashem tells Shmuel to go and anoint David, mentioned in the Gemara (end of Chullin and in a couple of other places) as an example of a shliach mitzvah who is not guaranteed protection from harm because קביע הזיקא - the danger is definite.

Shmuel is concerned: "How can I go? Shaul will hear about it and kill me!" (I Sam. 16:2). To this Hashem responds, "Take a calf with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice it to Hashem'" (end of the same verse).

So we might consider what Hashem's intention is with this last statement. Is it just to establish an alibi (and any other plausible action might have served the same purpose)? If so, then maybe it can't be much of a precedent. But if the idea is that Hashem is telling Shmuel to bring a korban in order for the merit of that mitzvah to protect him from harm - why, then, we have a case where a shliach mitzvah still needs another shlichus mitzvah for added protection.

[On the other hand, it may just be that this proves that an extra shlichus mitzvah which removes the קביע הזיקא is meaningful, as in this case, where taking along the korban would allay Shaul's suspicions. Where this is not so - carrying tzedakah money doesn't (in the natural order of things) make a trip any less dangerous - then perhaps it indeed doesn't make a difference, like in the case of the boy who climbed a rickety ladder to perform two mitzvos (also mentioned in Chullin loc. cit.), where the extra mitzvah didn't do anything to reduce the danger.]

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