Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

But I Don’t Want To Cross The Street!

 

“If your brother becomes impoverished and his hand (assets) become shaky among you, you must support him [so too] the proselyte and the sojourner, [so] that he shall live with you.” (Vayikra 25:36)

A Boy Scout was determined to help a little old lady cross the street. After several attempts, he finally picked her up and carried her to the other side of the street. He put her down on the sidewalk and left. He felt good about himself that he had done a good deed. The only problem was that the lady had no interest in getting to the other side. She had wanted to stay right where she was!

It says in Pirkei Avos (1:2), “The world rests upon three things: Torah study, Divine service (i.e. prayer and sacrifices), and the practice of chesed.”

The Talmud (Yevamos 79A) quotes King David who says, “There are three characteristics that distinguish the Jewish People: they are merciful, bashful, and do many great acts of kindness.”

Sefer Hamitzvos (Mitzvas Asei #8) says that we are commanded to emulate Hashem, as it is written, “And you shall go in His ways…”.

The Talmud (Sotah 14A) says that the Torah begins and ends with acts of chesed, kindness.  In the beginning, Hashem acted with chesed for Adam and Chava when He made clothing for them. And at the end of the Torah, Hashem acted with chesed when He buried Moshe Rabbeinu.

Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:13) says that one of man’s main tasks in life is helping others.

Midrash Rabba (Vayikra 34:8) teaches us the importance of doing chesed. It lists 4 categories of chesed. The first is doing chesed for someone who does not need it. Even though he does not need your favor, you are benefiting by growing spiritually when you do the act of kindness. The example that the Midrash gives is when our forefather Avraham welcomed his guests, who were, in reality, angels. Avraham served them food. Angels don’t eat; They made it appear as if they were eating. In essence, Avraham, indeed, did a chesed. However, the recipients did not receive a chesed. Under the circumstances, was Avraham’s action special? It certainly was!! For Avraham’s acting with selflessness, Hashem rewarded his children, the Jewish People, when they were in the desert. Hashem provided them with the mann, the miraculous food that they received daily. In addition, Hashem gave them a miraculous well that provided them with water. Over 3 million people and their animals drank from that well! Hashem sent them quails to eat. Hashem also provided them with the Clouds of Glory that surrounded them and protected them as well as the cloud that led them. Hashem gave all this reward for Avraham’s act of chesed even though the recipient did not need and did not benefit from his kindness! The Midrash says that one can imagine how great the reward will be when one does an act of chesed for another person who truly needs that chesed!!

The second category is one who does not do chesed for one who does not need it. After the Jews were redeemed from Egypt, they traveled through the desert. Common courtesy dictates that if you see someone going through the desert, you offer them food and water. The nations of Amon and Moav did not show that courtesy. One would think that it was not so important since the Jewish People did not need anything. They had sufficient food and water. However, since the nations of Amon and Moav did not act with chesed, they were forbidden, FOREVER, from marrying a Jew, even if they would convert to Judaism. Clearly, not doing a chesed when courtesy dictates it, is bad and is punishable.  For example, a wealthy stranger passing through a town does not need to be invited for a meal, but he would appreciate it if he was.

The third category is to do an act of chesed for someone for whom you are obligated to do so. For example, if someone did you a favor, the law of gratitude dictates that you must show him appreciation and kindness. Moshe rescued Yisro’s daughters from the shepherds who were at the well. Then he watered their flock. Yisro invited Moshe to a meal. That was an obvious obligation on Yisro’s part to show appreciation to Moshe for what he had done. Furthermore, Yisro’s intentions were far from noble. He was hoping Moshe would agree to marry one of his daughters. Yet, 300 years later Yisro’s descendants were rewarded for his act of chesed. King Shaul forewarned Yisro’s descendants to disperse from amidst the Amalek people before the battle that was about to take place. King Shaul voiced that the courtesy was due to Yisro’s chesed many years earlier. We see from this that you are rewarded even when you do a chesed for someone to whom you are obligated to do so. Imagine the reward you receive for doing a chesed for someone to whom you are not obliged!

The fourth category is doing even a small chesed to someone who needs a chesed. Rus came, along with the other poor people, to collect grain on Boaz’s field.  The Midrash (Midrash Rabba Rus 5:6) says that  Boaz gave her a small amount of toasted grain. Boaz only did a small chesed for Rus who needed a chesed. Yet he was richly rewarded, meriting to bring about the seed of Moshiach. One should not say it is not worth offering help to others if I can only help a little bit or if I can only offer a small amount.  That small amount is significant!

Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe (Alei Shur, Vol. I, p. 93) says that even the small things count. Even a nice word or a smile can give new life to someone who has given up on himself! A word of encouragement can bring joy. These are such small things. Yet they are so significant! In general, there are so many acts of chesed that we can easily do if we look to notice what is needed!

The first bracha of Shmoneh Esrei ends, “וזוכר חסדי אבות ומביא גואל לבני בניהם למען שמו באהבה”.

“[Hashem] remembers the kindnesses of the fathers and brings the redeemer to their descendant for the sake of His Name, with love”. The simple meaning of these words is that Hashem remembers the acts of kindness performed by our forefathers, and in that merit, Hashem will bring the redemption for their descendants. The Meshech Chochmah has another beautiful explanation. When one bestows kindness on another, he often continues to maintain an interest in that person’s wellbeing. He may perform additional acts of kindness to ensure that his initial kindness will not be in vain. Similarly, Hashem “remembers the kindnesses of the fathers,” i.e. the kindnesses that He bestowed upon the forefathers. Hashem will continually protect and ultimately redeem their descendants so that those initial kindnesses will not be for naught.

 

We are supposed to emulate Hashem. We should take the opportunity to do acts of kindness for others, keeping in mind all 4 categories of chesed. Then, like Hashem, let’s do additional acts of kindness to ensure that our initial kindness will not be in vain.

 

Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

Who Are You Surrounded By?

 

“You shall not make idols for yourselves….” (Vayikra 26:1)

In 1947, the members of the Mirrer Yeshiva arrived in America from Shanghai, China. The mashgiach, Rav Chaskel Levenstein zt”l, together with some others, settled in the East New York section of Brooklyn.  At that time, it was a predominately Jewish neighborhood. After a few months, Rav Chaskel unexpectedly decided to move to Israel, despite the great dangers there at that time. When he was asked why he suddenly decided to leave, he responded, “For practically the first time in my life I see wanton disregard for the holy Shabbos by fellow Jews. I feel that this constant exposure is weakening my own fear of even accidental violation of Shabbos, and I must leave ….” (Messages from Rav Pam by Rabbi Sholom Smith)

Rabbi Yossi son of Kisma said, “ One time I was walking along the way and a certain man met me. He greeted me and I returned the greeting. He said to me: ‘Rabbi, where are you from?’ I responded: ‘I am from a large city of scholars and scribes.’ He said to me: ‘Rabbi, would you be willing to dwell among us in our place, and I will give you hundreds of thousands of gold coins, precious stones and pearls?’ I said to him: ‘Even if you would give me all the silver, gold, precious stones, and pearls in the world, I would not dwell anywhere other than a place of Torah.’  (Pirkei Avos 6:9)

 

In Parshas Behar, the Torah exhorts us not to succumb to the grave sin of idolatry (Vayikra 26:1). Rashi is bothered by the obvious question. The Torah already warned us, in the Ten Commandments and in numerous other places, not to serve idols. Why is this prohibition repeated here? Rashi answers that this is connected to the previous psukim which discuss the case of a Jew who sells himself as a slave to a non-Jewish master. The Torah is warning him to be careful. Now that he lives in the home of a non-Jew, he should not say to himself, ”Since my master acts immorally, I will be like him. Since my master worships idols, I will be like him.  Since my master violates Shabbos, I will be like him.”

This Rashi is hard to understand. The slave’s master is not Jewish. Thus, he is not obligated to follow the Torah and fulfill the mitzvos. The Jewish slave, on the other hand, is obligated in ALL mitzvos even though poverty or sin forced him into selling himself as a slave to a non-Jew. How could this person compare himself to his non-Jewish master, thinking that he was not obligated in mitzvos? Especially since, according to the Ibn Ezra the non-Jew was only permitted to purchase the Jewish slave on the condition that he allow the Jew to be able to keep the mitzvos. The Jewish slave cannot be compelled to serve idols or profane Shabbos.

Rav Avraham Pam zt”l says (Messages from Rav Pam by Rabbi Sholom Smith) that this teaches us a vital lesson for life. A person is greatly influenced by his surroundings! A Jew can be Torah observant. He can be learning Torah, keeping Shabbos and fulfilling all the mitzvos. Yet, when he sees others around him doing the wrong things, it can influence him to do the worst possible sins! The slave master’s behavior should have repulsed and disgusted him. He should have been turned off by the immorality in the home. And, initially, he probably was turned off! Unfortunately, after a while he will begin to tolerate the disgusting behavior and eventually, he may even come to imitate it. Or, at least, it may lead him to become more lax in his mitzvah observance. For example, when he sees unrestricted violation of Shabbos, even by the non-Jew, it could weaken his resolve to keep Shabbos Kodesh. Such is the influence of one’s environment.

Since the influence of our environment is so pervasive, Rav Pam zt”l says that we should be so careful about where we choose to work and to live. The spiritual dangers inherent in today’s workforce can be devastating!

The external influences around us are stronger than we can imagine!

We are only fooling ourselves if we think that spending time with the wrong people

or viewing certain things will not influence us poorly.

Everything that we see has an impact on us and can pull us down spiritually.

Conversely, being in the proper environment can help raise us to new heights!

Let us always surround ourselves with good people

whose very presence will influence us to reach even higher heights!

 

Parshas Behar – Bechukosai

The Power of 1!

 

“If your brother becomes poor and his means fail with you, you must support him….” (Vayikra 25:35)
“I am the L-rd your G-d, who brought you out of the land of Mitżrayim, to give you the land of Cana’an, and to be your G-d.” (Vayikra 25:38)

On Yom Kippur, an elderly resident of Lakewood, New Jersey, davened in Bais Medrash Gavoha, the Lakewood yeshiva. He felt ill and was taken to a dormitory room to lie down. Just before Tefilas Ne’ila, the last tefilla of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Aharon Kotler zt”l, the Rosh HaYeshiva, asked one of his students to go to the dormitory room to daven together with the elderly man. The student said, “But the I won’t be able to daven Ne’ila with a minyan.” Rabbi Kotler replied,”To do chesed for another person is just as important!”

Studying Torah late one night in synagogue, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter zt”l, overheard two poor men talking to each other. One asked the other to accompany him to the well, as he was afraid to go out alone at night. The other was very tired and refused. Immediately, Rabbi Yisroel stopped learning and went to the well to get water for the poor man. (Love Thy Neighbor by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin) [There are times when we should not stop learning Torah to do chesed. Our rabbis can guide us when we should stop learning and when we should not. In this instance, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter stopped learning because he was the only one who could have performed the act of chesed.]

The Talmud (Sotah 14A) says that one should copy the attributes of Hashem and do acts of chesed, acts of kindness. The Talmud brings examples where Hashem clothed the naked, visited the sick, consoled mourners, and buried the dead. Rabbi Simlai said, “Great is chesed for the Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed. In the beginning of the Torah, Hashem clothed Adam & Chava. In the end of the Torah, Hashem buried Moshe.

Rabbi Moshe Alshich zt”l (as quoted in Iturei Torah by A.Y. Greenberg) points out that in the previous psukim the Torah uses plural terms. However, when the Torah discusses helping a poor person, it changes to the singular. Why? The Alshich explains that it is not uncommon for people to ignore a person in need. People may try to pass the chesed opportunity to someone else who may be a closer friend of the one in need. Or they may try to pass it on to another person who is wealthier and has more money to help. By changing to the singular tense, the Torah is telling us an important lesson. YOU have the obligation to help the poor person in need [if you are able]! Do not try to relieve yourself of the responsibility, by passing it on to another person!

HaRav Henach Leibowitz zt”l explains that the Sforno (Vayikra 25:38) is referring to previous psukim which discuss doing acts of chesed. The Sforno says that when you do an act of chesed, you are doing MORE than an act of chesed for an individual. Rather, it is like you are doing chesed for the entire Jewish People! Your act of chesed is helping to fulfill the purpose of Creation, that of recognizing Hashem.

Rabbi Binyomin Luban (in Chidushei Halev) quotes Harav Henach Leibowitz zt”l  with an additional idea from the Sforno. It is impossible for an individual to achieve the purpose of Creation, by himself. It can only be accomplished together with other Jews. Even if the individual is a tzadik or a chasid, he still cannot attain that on his own. It can only be achieved when Jews live together and do acts of chesed for one another. Doing acts of chesed for each other, unifies us as one.

Even a small act of kindness is the fulfillment of the mitzva of chesed. We should be eager to do the chesed and we should run to do it! It is incumbent on us to do so! Every act of chesed that we do for an individual Jew is considered as if we are doing chesed for the entire Jewish nation!

Our act of chesed helps fulfill the purpose of Creation, that of recognizing Hashem!