A wealthy Jew who had fallen on hard times once came to the Chasam Sofer and asked him for a berachah or an eitzah [idea] to help him recoup his money. The Chasam Sofer told him that he should give money to another Jew who has fallen on hard times.
This Jew was not thrilled with the eitzah given him by the Chasam Sofer. He suggested: Maybe the honorable Rav did not hear what I said. I said that I have fallen on hard times. I need an eitzah and I need a berachah. What are you telling me? To give out money now? I don’t have any spare money at this time! I am facing bankruptcy as it is.
The Chasam Sofer told him that there is a pasuk in the Torah that teaches us that this is the appropriate eitzah when a person has fallen on hard times. Which pasuk in the Torah? The pasuk in Parshas Va’era says, “V’gam (And I have also) heard the screams of Bnei Yisrael” (Shemos 6:5) The Chasam Sofer asked what the word v’gam implies. Who else heard it other than the Ribbono Shel Olam? What does it mean “And I also heard...?” The Chasam Sofer answered that it must be that in Mitzrayim, every Jew, when he heard his fellow Jew cry out in pain from the work, felt badly for that other Jew. He then cried not only for himself, but he cried for the other Jew as well.
Therefore, “I also heard the crying...” means that I heard Jews crying for the pain of other Jews. The Chasam Sofer said that we see from here that the path to inspire the Ribbono Shel Olam to have mercy and save a person from the troubles he is in, is to become a partner and to feel mercy and try to do something about someone else’s problems. That is the segula – to give to someone else. You will get out of your financial hole however you will get out of it. But the eitzah is that “v’gam ani sha’mati.”
The Meshech Chochmah says the same idea in different words and in a different context. The pasuk says “Hashem spoke to Moshe and to Aharon and commanded them regarding Bnei Yisrael and regarding Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to take Bnei Yisrael out of the land of Egypt.” (Shemos 6:13) Chazal say that Moshe commanded them regarding the law of freeing slaves (after six years). While still in Mitzrayim, the Ribbono Shel Olam gave Moshe the parsha of shiluach avadim! The Meshech Chochmah notes that this seems like a most inappropriate context for commanding these yet-Jewish slaves to send their own slaves free! Who had avodim?
The Meshech Chochmah says that wherever the Yidden [Jews] found themselves, there have always been wealthier Yidden and less wealthy Yidden. There is always someone who figures out an angle how to make more money. The wealthier Yidden in Mitzrayim bought Jewish slaves from the Egyptians. These Jewish slaves worked for their Jewish owners. Moshe Rabbeinu tells these people, do you know how the Ribbono Shel Olam is going to emancipate us? When you go ahead and free your slaves, that will elicit from the Ribbono Shel Olam to free His slaves as well.
This is the same idea that the Chasam Sofer expresses. A person needs to do more than be aware of his brethren’s pain. He must actually feel that pain and do something about it! This is the way to elicit that same response from the Ribbono Shel Olam for yourself.
An incident is brought from the Rebbe of Zlotshov. After a day of hard work in a concentration camp, the Rebbe came to his barracks and was about to eat his daily ration of bread. He noticed another Jew lying on his ‘bed’ who was literally dying of hunger. This Rebbe took his own portion of bread and gave it to this Jew. The Jew gave him a berachah: “I bentch you that you should get out of this place alive.”
