Parashat Chayei Sarah

The World Runs on Chesed

by: Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon

Founder and Board Chairman, JobKatif

This week’s parasha is full of Chesed, acts of kindness. Here are just a few examples:

1.     Rivka brings water to Eliezer’s camels even though he only asked for water for himself. (Bereishit 24:17-19)

2.     The Torah tells us that Lavan does a chesed by giving Rivka as a wife to Yitzchak.

3.     Eliezer helps Avraham find a wife for his son Yitzchak.

4.     Eliezer requests of G-d “LORD, the God of my master Abraham… I pray to you show kindness (chesed) unto my master Abraham.” (24:12) “You have shown kindness to my master” (24:14). We see that G-d acts in this way by showing Rivka to Eliezer.

5.     Ephoron does chesed for Avraham by giving him the cave bury his wife, Sarah.

Avraham is the only one who does not act in this way; in fact in almost every case he is the recipient. This is quite unusual since Avraham has always been described as “The Man of Kindness.”

What can we learn from this drastic change in character?

It is clear from these stories that Avraham, a man who did chesed for everyone else, was also able to gracefully receive when he was in a time of need.

A midrash (Bereishit Rabba 60:2) says: “Everyone needs chesed;everyone needs acts of kindness to be done for them, even Avraham”

The world is built on the model of kindness; giving and taking. Just as we need to always give to others, when we are in times of need we should not by embarrassed to receive.

A good friend of mine once told me about a neighbor whose family had many issues. My friend tried to help this family all the time. His neighbor’s wife always knew how to thank him for his efforts, but his neighbor would never looked him in the face. My friend didn’t understand, was this man upset with him? He helped this family so much, so what could be the problem?

One day my friend was trying to lift his child’s stroller to go up the stairs while he was holding the groceries, but it was too much for him and he was unable to manage it alone. This neighbor came and brought the stroller up the stairs. That same day this neighbor, who just did a chesedfor my friend, began to speak to my friend with a happy demeanor.

In other words the world runs on chesed. People won’t be happy if they always receive, but never give, but they also won’t be happy if the only give, but never receive. May we all merit to know how to receive help from others, and have the strength to give to others  at the needed times.

Shabbat Shalom!