This week's Parsha starts off with the the Mabul - the flood. The world was destroyed and only Noach, his family and a few animals survived. The world started again afresh.
A few generations later Nimrod came and decided to build a tower that reached the Heavens. This was a rebellion against Hashem.
There is a Passuk that we don't pay much attention to but it teaches us an important message.
'Min ha'aretz hahee yatza Ashur, vayiven es Ninvei' - Ashur left that country and built the city of Ninvei.
If the Torah wrote the Passuk there must be a reason for it.
A thousand years later another story happened. We read it in the Haftorah of Yom Kippur.
Yona Hanavi was sent to warn the city of Ninvei that they had to do Teshuva and warn them that if they don’t repent the city will be destroyed because of their behavior.
Yona tried to avoid going and went on the ship, was thrown in to the waters and swallowed alive by a huge fish. Finally Yona came to Ninvei, they listened to his prophecy and did Teshuva.
The city was saved. Hashem accepted their Teshuva but Hashem also remembered who built the city and why.
Ashur had built the city to disconnect his family from Nimrod and his followers.
Hashem remembered this good action of Ashur and gave his descendants an opportunity to repent. His good deed was remembered generations later.
At the end of the Parsha we have another Passuk with a story behind it.
Haran died during the lifetime of Terach his father in Ur Kasdim.
Rashi tells us that Terach his father had a hand in his death.
Avraham Avinu broke all the idols of his father Terach. Terach took Avraham to Nimrod. Nimrod threw Avraham in to the furnace. We all know that Avraham had a miracle and the fire never burned him.
Haran was watching and said, "If Avraham wins, I will join his side, if Nimrod wins, I will join him."
After Avraham was saved
After Avraham was saved they asked Haran whose side he was and he replied that he was on Avraham's. Haran was thrown into the furnace and burned to death.
He didn't have the merit to be saved because he was dancing on both sides. But the fact is he was burned to death for believing in Hashem so he died sanctifying Hashem's name - al Kiddush Hashem.
What reward did he get?
All the Imahos - the matriarchs were his descendants. Sarah was his daughter, Rivka was his great granddaughter, Rachal, Leah, Bilha and Zilpa were great great grandchildren.
So all of Klal Yisrael are descendants of Haran.
Furthermore Ruth, the grandmother of David Hamelech was a descendant of Lot, Naama, the wife of Shlomo Hamelech was also a descendant of Lot, Haran's son.
His act of Mesirus Nefesh was rewarded.
Before Klal Yisrael fell in with serving the golden calf- the Eigel, they asked Chur for permission. Chur lectured them and he was killed.
His act too was rewarded. When Hashem told Moshe about building the Mishkan he told him to bring Betzalel the son of Uri the son of Chur. Chur was rewarded that his grandson was the one who headed the building of the Mishkan. Betzalel was only fourteen years old at the time and Hashem blessed him with the wisdom and all the Kavonos needed to build the Mishkan.
Rav Yankel Galinsky's Story
Rav Yankel Galinsky told over the following story.
As a boy in Yeshiva in Bialistok he was asked to head the Tat. Tat, the shortened version of Tomchei Torah - supporting Torah, to assist poor Yeshiva boys.
The young Yaakov was worried that it would disturb his Torah study so he decided to ask the opinion of the Chafetz Chaim. The Chafetz Chaim replied that Chessed helps one's Torah study too. But he advised him to set aside a specific time for the Tat, Friday afternoon after midday.
The big fay for fundraising for the Tat was Purim. Although Bialistok was s poor town there was one wealthy man who everyone would go to on Purim to ask for money.
In order to keep law and order the man's son stood at the door making sure that no one came more than one time.
Reb Yankel davened at sunrise and got there very early. Nobody was there yet so he spent some time with the man and received a very large donation.
He knew he couldn't come back so Reb Yankel 'mistakenly' left behind his sweater.
After going around all day collecting small donations he went back to the wealthy man's house to 'pick up his sweater'.
The man's son blocked his entrance telling him he had already been once. Reb Yankel told him that he was correct but he came to fetch his sweater.
The son only agreed to let him in if he promised not to ask for another donation.
Reb Yankel agreed.
He went in and the man told him that he had left his sweater behind. The man gave it to him and Reb Yankel thanked him, gave him a Beracha and said goodbye.
"Wait," said the man, "don't you want any money?"
Reb Yankel didn't ask but didn't refuse. So the man doubled his donation.
Reb Yankel would say, one has to know where to invest and all the more so when we invest in doing Mitzvos and fulfilling the will of Hashem one never loses out. We may not see the results straight away but when we invest with Hashem we will only gain.
Similarly, there are times we daven and are hoping for a salvation. It may be for health, kids, nachas, Parnassa. But for a reason unknown to us our prayer didn't bring us the result we prayed for.
However we must remember our prayer never got lost. It went up to Heaven and was saved for a different time. We prayed that someone very sick gets better. Sadly, the person didn't survive. We are devastated. But at the other end of the world there is someone else who is sick who was healed in the merit of our prayer.
The Chazon Ish was asked how is it that people who are completely irreligious and have children who become Baalei Teshuva. The Chazon Ish replied that the grandparents cried bitterly for the future of their children. For reasons unknown to us it didn't help for their own children but it brought back their grandchildren or great grandchildren.
This week's Parsha has two Pessukim that bring us across this important message that a good act has an impact.
