Not Just Another Nice Guy
Sep 6th, 2010 | By admin | Category: 2007-8, Archivesby Rabbi Yisrael Rutman
Chesed (kindness) is central to the authentic Jewish personality. The Oral Tradition teaches that the Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed. And God is the role model. At the beginning of the Torah, He clothes Adam and Eve; at the end, He buries Moses. The father of the Jewish people, Abraham, was known above all for his acts of kindness. He practically invented it. The Arabs are renowned for their tradition of hospitality; but their ancestor Ishmael was Abraham’s son. Like Abraham’s nephew Lot, he presumably got the idea from his father. And while Ishmael is described in the Torah as an archer and a wild fellow, there is no mention of his kindly, hospitable nature.
Not that there weren’t any nice guys before Abraham, but kindness was not an ideal. The ancient polytheistic world from which Abraham emerged was dominated by cruelty. Sacrificing one’s children to the gods was the thing to do. He made chesed into a way of life and a Divine service. When the three wayfarers came by (at the opening of Vayera), he interrupted a prophetic communication with God in order to greet them. Thus, he taught that one can come closer to the Creator through an act of chesed than a conversation. That’s because, as Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato explained in Derekh Hashem, the ultimate way to commune with the Divine is by emulating Him, by becoming like Him, thereby partaking of His perfection. And since God created the world as an act of chesed, to bestow life and goodness on His creation, He can be emulated through acts of chesed. So the most menial chores pertaining to the hosting of guests can elevate a person spiritually in a way that nothing else can.
The Binding of Isaac, in which he was instructed by God to sacrifice his son, was an monumental trial. Here was the quintessential master of chesed told to perform the ultimate barbarity, one that he himself had publicly opposed. Yet, his faith in the righteousness of God was so complete that he carried out the mission unquestioningly. As we know, the angel arrived at the last moment, just as Abraham was lifting the knife to end his son’s life, to inform him that the sacrifice was to be an animal instead of Isaac. The angel said to Abraham: “Now I know that you fear God.”
The Vilna Gaon asks: And before this, we did not know that he was a righteous man? Wasn’t this the same Abraham who had entertained guests in the heat of the day despite the pain of his circumcision? Wasn’t this the Abraham who had risked his life in opposing idolatry? Who had intuited and lived his life by all of the Torah commandments that would later be given at Sinai?
The Gaon answers that Abraham’s dominant trait was chesed. It came naturally to him, as kindness and generosity come naturally to many people. Perhaps the hospitality for which he was famous was no more than an expression of that personality. He liked having company, liked being with people and making them happy. But how do we know that it was more than that? That he was more than just a nice guy? Only when Abraham demonstrated his willingness to undertake an act of utmost cruelty at God’s behest, could we say for sure that whatever his nature, he was willing to bend it to the will of his Creator.
Six years ago, Rabbi Eliezer Menachem Shach passed away. Although he had distinguished himself as a Torah scholar for decades, he became known to the outside world only when he stepped into the political arena. In the media, he was regarded as a militant figure, harshly critical of secular Israeli society. He asked what makes a Jewish life if a person does not say Shema Yisrael? If he eats non-kosher food and desecrates the Sabbath? These were questions that many people did not want to hear, but Rabbi Shach felt that it was his responsibility as a spiritual leader to ask them, no matter the consequences.
But his essential personality was not known to the masses. To those who knew him at close hand, who studied with him, who sought his counsel and his blessings, it was a very different person from that which was presented in the media. Despite his intense devotion to Torah study, when the need arose he would interrupt and give his full attention and energy to the concerns of others, whether on the individual or communal level. Whether it was the decision to found a new political party or the poor and sick seeking his help, he was always available.
Just one story to illustrate what kind of person Rabbi Shach was: A young couple confided in their rabbi that after years of marriage they were so far unable to have children, though they very much wanted them. He mentioned that it is known that failure to pay the shadchan (matchmaker) for her services can be the cause of childlessness. Did they pay their shadchan? No, they answered. Why not? Because their shadchan was Rabbi Shach, and they were embarrassed to offer him money. They then consulted with the eminent Rabbi Chaim Kaniefsky, and an intimate of Rabbi Shach, about what to do. He informed them that, on the contrary, they were not obligated to pay Rabbi Shach. He explained that the reason one has to pay a shadchan is because there is an implicit understanding that the person is interceding not just for the joy of helping someone get married, but also to earn some money. However, a parent or other family member performs this service purely out of love, for the sake of the young couple’s happiness. Likewise, in Rabbi Shach’s case, he said, there is no question that his motive in bringing you together was purely out of love. Therefore, you owe him nothing.
The stories of his acts of chesed are countless. They reflect a naturally sweet, loving personality. His willingness to stand up and say things that would be interpreted as a cruel attack on other Jews showed that he was driven not just by his nature, but by the desire to do right in the eyes of God.
As the angel said to Abraham: “Now I know that you fear God.”
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