To succeed in our mission of kiddush Hashem, it’s important to connect the importance of middos with limud haTorah.
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (17b) states clearly that one who engages in Torah alone but neglects chessed is like one who has no G-d:
"כל העוסק בתורה בלבד דומה כמי שאין לו אלוה."
The Maharsha explains that this is because chessed lies at the heart of Hashem’s middos, and our role is to follow in His ways — “והלכת בדרכיו.”
A rosh chaburah from the Mir Yeshiva was recently riding in a taxi when the driver, who didn’t appear overtly religious, asked him, “Do you know a Rav Arieli from the Mir?”
“Yes, I do,” the rosh chaburah replied.
The driver nodded and said, “He played a major role in my family’s life.”
He went on to share the story.
His son, a talented and capable soldier, was finishing his service in the Israeli army. The army wanted him to stay on in an advanced position, and he also had the option to attend university and pursue any career path he wanted.
One day, this young man was in Yerushalayim to take care of some personal matters. As it began to pour, he took shelter near a building on Rechov Shmuel HaNavi, not far from the Mir Yeshiva. That building happened to be where Rav Asher Arieli gives his Hebrew shiur twice a week.
The soldier, curious and with nothing else to do, stepped inside and began listening to the shiur. He was instantly captivated. It was the first Torah shiur he had ever heard, and he stood there, completely absorbed, for the entire duration.
When the shiur ended, he was still standing motionless, processing the profound experience. Rav Asher Arieli exited the building and noticed the soldier standing there. In his characteristic humility and kindness, Rav Asher instinctively offered to share his umbrella with the young man.
They began walking together, and the soldier struck up a conversation, discussing the shiur, asking questions, and engaging in Torah. That conversation and that shiur changed his life.
The taxi driver finished his story with pride: “Today, my son is an avreich in the Mir Yeshiva, learning in the Bais Shalom building.
This is the formula that creates the most powerful kiddush Hashem: Torah and middos tovos. A shiur and the simple kindness of sharing an umbrella—it was that combination that changed a life forever.
RABBI SHRAGA FREEDMAN
