Ra'anana Community Kollel

                                    Hidden Kindnesses

                                                     Rabbi Binyomin Lipson

“You should not eat any blood in all of your localities, neither that of animal nor fowl. Any person who eats blood will be cut off form his nation. (Vayikra 7:26-27)

“Just strenthen yourselves lest you come to eat blood . . . in order that I may bestow good upon you and your children after you as you will have done what is straight in the eyes of Hashem.” (Devarim 12:23,25)

“Rebbi Shimon the son of Rebbi observed, ‘Now if the Torah cautions us concerning blood which a person naturally detests, and nevertheless offers us eternal reward for refraining from eating it, how great must be the reward for refraining from theft and illicit behavior which a person naturally desires!’ Rebbi Chananya ben Akashya taught, ‘Hashem desired that the Jewish people receive reward, therefore He gave them a large quantity of Torah and mitzvot.” (Makkot 3:15-16)

A mentor of mine once related how one summer evening when he was still a young boy there was an unexpected knock on the door. Upon opening, his mother was quite surprised to find a smiling young man who was obviously a member of a well known evangelical cult who asked if he could come in and share a few words with the lady of the house. At some point during his presentation the visitor tried to present his hostess with a small booklet which he identified as the “bible” of his faith. At that point, the woman led him into the living room and, gesturing to the enormous, twenty volume set of Talmud on the bookshelf told him sternly, “Look here young man, you call that a bible? Take a look at the Jewish Bible.”

Certainly, the great number of mitzvot that Hashem incorporated in the Torah can evoke different reactions from different people. Once, a young man confided in me that although he did feel an obligation to keep the mitzvot that he was aware of, he was very reluctant to learn more. “The more I learn,” he claimed, “the more obligated and burdened with mitzvot I become!”

Once, a troubled youngster came to R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l and bemoaned, “The Mishna tells us that Hashem gave us much Torah and many mitzvot in order to increase the merit of the Jewish people. However, the more mitzvot that I learn about, the more burdened and depressed I feel, and as a result I just end up committing more and more transgressions.”

After a moment, R’ Shlomo Zalman replied lovingly, “Certainly you know about the Halacha which instructs one how to put on his shoes in the morning. First, he should put on his right shoe, and then his left, and afterwards, he should tie the left shoe first and only afterwards his right. Now, let’s think for a minute. Do you know anyone who is able to put on both of his shoes at the same time? Look at what a great kindness Hashem has done for us by giving us such a Halacha! In any case we would have needed to put on one shoe before the other, and nevertheless by just doing this everyday activity in the way that we have been instructed we have fulfilled a mitzvah and will thereby merit eternal reward. I am already an old man,” continued the Rav, “and I have long since trained myself to put on my shoes in this way. Just imagine, through this one simple action which I would have anyway needed to perform for myself I have amassed thousands of merits which I would have otherwise been lacking. Can you think of any greater kindness that Hashem has done for us than that?”

Stop for a moment and think of all the common everyday necessities which we perform and receive reward simply because Hashem wanted to increase our merit. By performing acts of kindness, raising a family, paying a worker on time and countless other acts of interpersonal consideration we can literally stock pile mitzvot which will be of great benefit to us in the World to Come. Let’s all make an effort to remember these hidden kindnesses and the numerous others which Hashem does for us on a constant basis and increase our show of gratitude by strengthening ourselves in all of his commandments.