There was a woman who worked as a cook in a yeshivah. Sadly, she had been an agunah for many years, with no realistic chance of receiving a get. She would prepare supper in the yeshivah and then stay late into the night to clean the entire kitchen. That was her parnassah. It took hours, and she had no one to watch her children, so she brought them along. It was an extremely difficult situation. By the end of the day, her children were exhausted, crying, and begging to go home.
A group of bachurim noticed her struggle and felt terrible for her. They came up with an idea. “You go home and take care of your children,” they told her. “Come in, cook the supper, and then leave. We’ll take care of all the serving and all the cleaning.”
And so, these bachurim quietly began doing this every day. They were careful to do it during their own free time, never missing time from their learning seder.
Eventually the mashgiach found out and objected. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Bachurim are here to learn, not to clean kitchens.”
But the bachurim respectfully explained that they were always back before seder began. The mashgiach remained unconvinced and brought the matter to Rav Shach, fully expecting that the Rosh Yeshivah would support his position.
After hearing the story, Maran Rav Shach suddenly rose from his chair and exclaimed with great emotion:
“Niflaos! Wonders of wonders! What wonderful bachurim! What thoughtfulness! Where are those bachurim? I want to kiss each and every one of them!
“Tell them,” Rav Shach continued, “that what they are doing is certainly right and proper. They deserve to be praised and encouraged.
Because of the great kindness they show in the yeshivah, they will undoubtedly receive an abundance of siyatah d’Shmayah in their learning. This chessed will not take away from their Torah—it will enhance it!”
From Rav Shach’s words, we learn a profound truth: Kindness and refined middos are the very foundation of greatness in Torah. As the Gemara in Avodah Zarah (17b) says: “כל העוסק בתורה בלבד דומה כמי שאין לו אלוה.” “One who engages in Torah only, while neglecting chessed, is like one who has no G-d.”
The Maharsha explains that this is because chessed lies at the heart of Hashem’s middos, and our role is to emulate Him – “והלכת בדרכיו.”
The way to live with Hashem is by emulating His ways.
RABBI SHRAGA FREEDMAN
