By Rabbi Eliezer Abish
In Israel, a young family with small children was excited to move into a new apartment building. Their neighbors were also young families, making for a friendly atmosphere. The Gold family lived on the ground floor, and the Silver family had just moved in upstairs. The two families got along well, with their kids playing together as they grew.
As time went on, the Silver family started to have a lot of success. They married off their children one after another, celebrating many simchas. Meanwhile, the Gold family faced struggles; none of their kids seemed to find matches. While the Silvers celebrated, the Golds felt left out and discouraged.
Despite their friendly relationship, Mr. Gold began to feel jealous. He thought, “Why are they so lucky while we’re struggling?” This jealousy created a rift between the two families, even though Mr. Silver hadn’t done anything wrong.
One day, Mr. Silver knocked on Mr. Gold’s door. “Shalom Aleichem,” he said. Mr. Gold braced himself for another announcement of good news. Instead, Mr. Silver said, “I’m here to ask for a favor. We want to extend our apartment, and I need your permission. The extension will block some of your sunlight.”
Mr. Gold felt annoyed. “You want me to give up my sunlight for you?” he thought. However, after discussing it with his wife, she suggested, “Maybe we should let them build. It’s not their fault they’re doing well. Let’s have a good eye and see if that brings us joy.”
Taking her advice, Mr. Gold agreed. He went back upstairs and said, “Yes, you can build.” Mr. Silver was grateful. “Thank you! This will make a big difference for us. You should be blessed in your home.”
Then Mr. Silver added, “I have one more request. We’ll need to go through your apartment to access the upstairs area during construction.” Mr. Gold felt a new wave of irritation but agreed. “Okay.”
When construction started, the sounds of hammers and drills filled the Gold family’s home daily for over five weeks. Mr. Gold chose to stay quiet, accepting the noise for the sake of his neighbor’s happiness.
Three weeks later, Mr. Gold’s eldest daughter got engaged, marking their first simcha in years. During the celebration, Mr. Gold spoke with his son-in-law’s father, who shared, “You know, I made just one phone call for this shidduch.”
Curious, Mr. Gold asked who it was. “I called a contractor friend who built in your building. He mentioned how you allowed his workers to walk through your apartment. That made a big impression on me. I thought, ‘Someone like that is who I want for my child.’”
When we break our nature and transcend beyond what we think we are capable of, extending ourselves for the well-being and benefit of others, Hashem takes note. And then He looks down upon us and considers all the ways He could shower us too with blessing and benefit. Going outside of ourselves for others doesn't just make a difference here. It makes a difference all way the way to Heaven.
Reprinted from the Parshat Nitzavim 5784 edition of the Torahanytimes Newsletter.
