The Tzaddik and the Freebee
Pearls of Wisdom from the Parshah
וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל ה’. (דברים ג, כג)
I pleaded for Hashem’s grace. (Devarim 3:23)
Chinun always implies a freewill gift. Although the tzaddikim could request from Hashem based on their good deeds, they ask only a freewill gift. (Rashi)
When a tzaddik asks something of Hashem, it is always as a freewill gift, as if he is not worthy of it. And he does this not despite being tzaddik but because he is a tzaddik.
Here’s an example.
Imagine a very wealthy man. He owns a lot of property worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Then something bad happens. The people of a certain city are in grave danger due to the decree of an evil king. The wealthy man sells all his property, and bribes the king with the cash thereby obtained. This saves all the people of the city from sure death!
There is no doubt that this Jew did a tremendous mitzvah. But now he is totally impoverished. He has nothing left for himself. He has no home and not even food to eat. He gave everything for the sake of the mitzvah of chesed that he did.
There are two ways this man could beseech Hashem. He could say: Ribono Shel Olam, I didn’t really have to give away everything like that. I could very well have left myself a modest sum to live on. But now that I gave everything, at least give me a slice of bread to eat. Don't I, too, deserve something, after all I did to help and rescue Jewish people from their plight?
Or he could say like this: Ribono Shel Olam, You were so kind to me! I know that You could have rescued the people of the city by Yourself. But you gave me the opportunity to rescue them by selling off my property so I will merit doing such a wonderful mitzvah. The truth is I don’t deserve anything, but I am asking You for a slice of bread to eat, as a freewill gift.
These are the two ways how to look at any situation in life.
Moshe Rabbeinu said: Ribono Shel Olam, I don’t deserve anything at all. You gave me the opportunity to bring the Jewish people out of Egypt and receive the Torah for them. You gave me so many amazing zechuyos. I don’t deserve anything at all, not even to go to the Land with the rest of the people. I am just asking as a mere gift that I should allowed entry to Eretz Yisrael.
This is indeed a high madreigah. But it is the right way to look at life. If we ask things from Hashem because we think we deserve it, then Hashem tallies things up to see what we did and what we already received for it and what we still have coming to us, if anything. We might think we "deserve" this and that, but can we be sure that Hashem sees it that way?
But if we just ask for a gracious gift, knowing that we don’t really deserve it, then we are approaching Hashem like a son does to a loving father. And this opens the gates of unlimited blessing.
