To answer these questions, we turn to the literal translation of the possuk: And Mosheh heard, and it was good in his eyes. The “goodness of Mosheh’s eyes” – his generosity – is discussed in the Gemara: “The Torah was given only to Mosheh and his descendants, for it says, Write [for] yourself and Carve [for] yourself. Just as the [fragments] hewn away will be yours, so too the writing will be yours. But Mosheh acted generously [with a “good eye”] and gave it to Israel, and of him it says, A generous person [“one with a good eye”] will be blessed.
Similarly, the Midrash says: When Hashem told Mosheh, “Take to yourself Yehoshua bin Nun... and lean your hand upon him,” what did Mosheh do? He leaned [both] his hands upon him and commanded him. This can be compared to a king who told a member of his household to give a measure of wheat to someone. He went and gave two measures, saying, “One measure is from the king, and one is from me.” In this, Mosheh fulfilled that which is said, A generous person shall bless.
If He Would Have Had No Benefit He Would Not Have Given Him
Is that indeed the case? Is there really a connection between giving gifts and being generous [having a “good eye”]? We find many people who give gifts without the slightest hint of generosity, but solely for his own benefit. He gives gifts to enhance his reputation, and that people not think him stingy. To enhance his reputation, he is even willing to “invest” several seemingly generous bequests to others – but it is purely for his own benefit. A “generous” employer often acts that way to have more faithful – and productive – workers, but once again, it is purely for his own benefit. Even people who give “generous” gifts at weddings and the like, often do so simply expecting a similar return.
A Good Eye
It would thus seem that true generosity, represented by a “good eye”, is only for such giving that is not connected at all to self-gain, but involves giving of oneself to another. The “eye” relates to such giving, because the eye is the organ of seeing, and one with a “good eye” has the ability to rid himself from the equation, and only “see” the other. Most people are very weak in this, and they are blinded by their personal needs. Everything revolves around their needs – “my needs” – and everything they see is filtered through their own needs, to the point where they actually cannot see the needs of others. Their whole life is spent in this self-imposed jail, and even when they see others, it is actually only for their own sakes.
Mosheh, on the other hand was One with a good eye shall be blessed/shall bless. He concerned himself with the needs of every Jew, and would relinquish his own rights for the sake of others. The Torah was given to him and his descendants, and yet, because of his good eye, he relinquished that right and gave it to all of Israel. Similarly, although he was told to lean his hand upon Yehoshua, he leaned both hands on him, as if to say, “The extra one is on me!” Ordinarily, there are feelings of jealousy for a person who takes his power, and yet he gave over even more than he was asked to, because of the generosity of his spirit – his good eye, that does not look inwards, but towards others.
