Rebbe Pinchos Koritzer said, "Until [we read] parshas Lech Lecha, the world is unhappy and confused. Afterwards, the chesed of Avraham is aroused, and there are salvations in the world."
Avraham is the paradigm of chesed, and this brings salvation to the world. Let's go in Avraham Avinu's ways and study the great trait of chesed:
At the beginning of a new year, we are afraid that perhaps it was decreed in heaven that there will be an exile (for the individual or for communities, chalilah). We annul the decree with the mitzvah of succah. As the sefarim explain, going into the succah is a micro-exile, which saves us from needing to endure the devastation of actual galus.
As it is known, on Succos we are visited by the seven Ushpizen. The Vilna Gaon zt'l (סוכות ,אליהו אזור) tells us that all the seven Ushpizen went to galus. Therefore, it's fitting that they visit us on Succos when we go into galus.
Avraham went to galus, as Hashem told him, מארצך לך לך, that he must leave his homeland. Yitzchak went to galus, as it states (Bereishis 26:1), ...אבימלך אל יצחק וילך ...בארץ רעב ויהי גררה, "There was a famine in the land...and Yitzchak went to Avimelech... to Gror," and he lived there.
The Vilna Gaon proves that Aharon went to galus, because Hashem said (Shemos 4:27), לך המדברה משה לקראת, "Go to greet Moshe in the desert..."
Reb Menasheh Reisman Shlita asks, Aharon went out to meet Moshe when Moshe was returning from Midyan! It wasn't that he moved to a new location. Why is that called going to galus?
It's because this was a great challenge and test for Aharon. Moshe was the younger brother, yet he was becoming the redeemer of Bnei Yisrael and not Aharon. Aharon passed this difficult test and greeted Moshe with happiness. As it states (ibid. 14), ושמח וראך בלבו, "He will see you, and he will be happy in his heart." This act of going out to face this difficult challenge can be considered going into galus.
The sister and brother-in-law of the Yismach Yisrael of Alexander zt'l were making a chasunah for their son. The Yismach Yisrael came for the chasunah and stayed the week of sheva brachos.
On the final day of sheva brachos, the Yismach Yisrael's sister said, "I don't like the kallah. I can't even look at her." She said that she will encourage her son to divorce her.
The Yismach Yisrael was very upset when he heard his sister say this.
At the sheva brachos, the Yismach Yisrael said, "On the words (16:6) ,בעיניך הטוב לה עשי Onkelus writes, בעיניכי כדתקין, which can be translated as 'correct her with your eyes.' Avraham told Sarah that she could fix Hagar with a good eye. Think good about Hagar, and that will transform her.
People respond to how others think about them. Focusing on their faults affects them one way, and if you focus on their qualities, it helps them become better. (This certainly occurs when the people you are thinking about know the good thoughts you think of them. And even when they don't know, there is a power of having a positive view of others that changes them. Think about people's good, and they will become even better.)
This is an essential tool for teachers and parents. Focus on the inner good of your charges, and that will help them become better. Replay in your mind constantly, "he is good; he is special. He has this quality, and he has that quality..." and with such thoughts, you will nurture and develop the good in them.
The Purpose of the Torah
The first letter of the Torah is a 'ב and not an 'א. The gematriya of 'ב is two. This reminds us that the purpose of the Torah is to have in mind your fellow man. You shouldn't only think about 'א, yourself alone. Think about others, and ask yourself, "What can I do to help them?"
It states (13:16), הארץ כעפר זרעך את ושמתי, the Jewish people will be like the earth. In which way?
Reb Moshe Feinstein zt'l explains that the earth doesn't have any intrinsic value. Its purpose is to help others. Food grows from the earth; earth and stones can be used to build houses. But earth alone is valueless. Hashem told Avraham that his descendants will be like the earth, meaning that they will be focused on how they can help others, not merely thinking of themselves.
The Ostravtza Rebbe zt'l met with Reb Chaim Ozer zt'l and said a very deep pilpul. Reb Chaim Ozer replied, "You are an אדם גדול, a great person!"
The Ostravtza Rebbe humbly disagreed. "Being well-versed in Torah doesn't make one גדול אדם. Someone who does chesed is an adam gadol."
He proved this from the Gemara (Makos 22:) that discusses how prized Torah scholars are, and therefore, how much we must honor them. The Gemara says, "People are foolish because they stand up for a sefer Torah, but don't stand up for an adom gadol. The Torah says that malkus is 40 lashes (as it states ארבעים יכנו), and the Chachamim detracted one." The Chachamim taught that malkus is 39 lashes, although the Torah seems to say forty. This is the Gemara's proof that the Torah scholars are greater than the Torah scroll itself because they can change and override what's written in the Torah. (Obviously, they only do so following the 13 principles of derivation. Nevertheless, the Gemara says that this demonstrates the greatness of the Chachamim. If we show honor to a Torah scroll, we should undoubtedly honor the Chachamim.)
The Ostravtza Rebbe noted that the Gemara could have brought another source to prove the greatness of the Chachamim. The Torah says to count fifty days of the omer (יום חמישים תספרו), and the Chachamim say to count forty-nine days. Why doesn't the Gemara use this source to show the greatness of the scholars?
The answer is that a great person is someone who can reduce the distress and pain of the Jewish nation. If they can detract even one of the malkus, that is an example of greatness. The fact that they detracted one day of sefiras ha'omer isn't proof of the greatness of the Chachamim. That they got rid of one lashing shows true greatness.
Rewards for Doing Chesed
Reb Elazar Tzaddok Turchin zt'l was a masmid already as a young bachur, but the following incident elevated his knowledge and hasmadah to a very high level.
Erev Yom Kippur, after the seudah hamafsekes, he was going towards the beis medresh to say Tefillah Zakkah in preparation for Yom Kippur. But when he passed the Tepliker Rav's zt'l home, the rav called to him, "Bachur'l! Bachur'l! I need some help cleaning my home."
Reb Elazar Tzaddok put aside his aspirations to be in beis medresh early and helped the elderly Tepliker Rav. When he completed this good deed, the Tepliker Rav told him, "I know it is late, and you have many things to do. You helped me with mesirus nefesh. In return, I'm certain that Hashem will help you this year beyond the laws of nature."
Indeed, after this incident, Reb Elazar Tzaddok Turchin became a new person. He was able to learn thirty pages of Gemara a day, and he didn't forget anything.
5. The Divrei Chaim zt'l wrote to his son-in-law, Reb Moshe Ungar, something along these lines: "You sent me information you heard about the boy that was suggested for your daughter. You told me about his scholarly abilities and his yichus, but you left out the main part. You didn’t tell me whether he is a mench, someone who is kind to others, and will be kind to your daughter. And that is a key point to find out, because it states (Devarim 22:16), לאיש נתתי בתי את, "I gave my daughter to an ish, to a mench." (The Chebiner Rav zt'l often repeated this story.)
Reb Meir Chadash zt'l, the mashgiach of Yeshivas Chevron, saw how his student, Reb Elazar Tzaddok, was finishing one masechta after the other and suspected that he was learning on a superficial level. So he tested him, and Reb Elazar Tzaddok knew everything perfectly.
Reb Meir Chadash didn't know the secret, the reason Reb Elazar Tzaddok Turchin's mind was so open for Torah, beyond the rules of nature.
Reb Elazar Tzaddok continued studying in this manner, and he became a great Torah scholar. (Years later, he wrote the sefarim Shoneh Halachos together with Reb Chaim Kanievsky shlita.)
Reb Elazar Tzaddok helped the Tepliker Rav on erev Yom Kippur, but ultimately, he did himself the greatest favor. He earned dividends from this chesed for the rest of his life. Because for doing chesed one earns reward also in this world.
Rebbe Henoch of Alexander zt'l said chesed is mesugal for bearing children. He explained that הולדה שערי, the chambers in heaven for bearing children are sometimes closed. But right near this chamber is שערי חסדים גמילות, the chamber of loving-kindness. So, even if the gates to the chambers for children are closed, one can enter through the gates of gemilus chasadim, and from there it is easy to jump into the chambers for children.
Rebbe Baruch of Zichlin zt'l came to Rebbe Henoch of Alexander zt'l for Shabbos Parashas Noach, and he told the Rebbe that his son-in-law doesn't yet have any children. Rebbe Henoch told him to do chesed, because the chamber for children is near the chambers for chesed. He added that this is alluded to in Rashi (6:9), צדיקים של תולדותיהן עיקר טובים מעשים. This can be translated, תולדותיהן עיקר צדיקים של, tzaddikim have children, מעשים טובים, in the merit of their gemilus chasadim. Therefore, the next pasuk states, שלשה נח ויולד יפת ואת חם ואת שם את בנים, "Noach gave birth to three children: Shem, Cham, and Yafes." Noach bore those children because he was involved in doing chesed.
In particular, tzedakah and giving interest-free loans are mesugal for bearing children and for having good children. The Gemara (Bava Basra 9:) states, "Whoever gives tzedakah regularly, Heaven will grant him children who are wise, wealthy, and learned in all aspects of the Torah." And it states (Tehillim 37:26), ומלוה חונן היום כל לברכה וזרעו, "All day long he is compassionate and he lends money and his children will be blessed." This hints that by giving tzedakah and loans, one merits having good children. (The Divrei Avraham said this explanation to the Chasam Sofer zt'l, and the Chasam Sofer zt'l praised it.)
