There is a story of a very poor yeshiva student who decided
to leave his academy and strike out on his own. He became a very wealthy man.
His rabbi came by to visit him in his palace one day. Yes, he had a palatial
home and he was very proud to show his rabbi around.
Here Rabbi is my big sitting
room, and my big dining room, and here is my office - and here are my bedrooms
...and right here is a guest room just for you."
The Rabbi was very upset and he said, "My student, where is
your hospitality room? I don't see any charity in your house. There is only gathering
in for yourself. You're only looking after your needs. Where are the poor
people at your table?"
The student was taken aback and he said,"Rabbi, you know I
really don't have a lot of time anymore for charity. I have hired someone to
take care of my charitable work."
The Rabbi brought him to the window and said to him, "What
do you see?"
"Well,
I see Herschel the poor water carrier. Oy, what a shame that poor Herschel
doesn't have enough money to send his kids to school."
"And
who do you see over there?"
"I see
Muttel the window washer. Poor Muttel his wife recently fell ill and he doesn't
have the time to care for her and the house."
"And who else do you see?"
In this way, the Rabbi and the student pointed out all the
needy people in the town that passed by the windows of this man's palatial home
on their way.
The Rabbi brought his student to a mirror and asked him, "And
now who do you see?"
The student stood in front of the mirror and proudly said,
"I see....MYSELF." The Rabbi played naïve and asked the student, "Tell me why is
it that when you look through this glass you see poor people and when you look
though this glass you see yourself?"
Smirking at the Rabbi's ignorance the student explained, "You
see Rabbi, on the back of this glass the mirror is plated with silver and it
reflects the images that are directed on to it."
"Aha", the Rabbi said," So when you
plate your eyes with silver you are only able to see your own reflection and
are unable to see the interests of others." [i]
DO NOT BRING US
ACROSS THE JORDAN
The rabbi in the story taught a
valuable lesson, likewise this week's Parashah (Mattot/ Masei) also speaks of
the responsibility and commitment of Ahavat
Israel (Love of Israel). After
battling and conquering Midian, the tribes split up the spoils, the
tribes of Reuven and Gad then approach Moses with a proposition:
"If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land [east bank of Jordan] be given to your servants as a heritage;
do not bring us across the Jordan" Bamidbar 32:5
Now let me back up here a bit. We have already learned earlier in
this verse that Gad and Reuven have an abundance of livestock. Midrash Hagadol says that they didn't
have any more livestock than anyone else, but its mention indicates that they
attached a great deal of importance to their herds. In that light, let's return
to their request. They want to stay in Jordan
in order to protect their interests, leaving the rest of the tribes to battle
over the land! Just as our wealthy student above could not see beyond his own
needs, Gad and Reuven missed the mark, when they decided their possessions were
of greater importance than the welfare of the nation, more important than Ahavat Israel. "Do not bring us
across the Jordan"
- were they were begging or demanding?
AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?
I heard a rabbi
once say that Gad and Reuven, "knew that G-d was with the Israelites and
therefore deduced that Israel's
battles were going to be won for them".
In the story above, the student had employed someone to do his
charitable work on his behalf. Similarly Gad and Reuven possibly thought, "G-d
will take care of it, why go?" G-d was
certainly with them; however, He commissioned us take care of each other. Does "
You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Vayikra 19:18)", ring any bells? This is the essence of Ahavat Israel. It is commanded of every Jew to love his brother as himself. We feed ourselves, make excuses for our bad
behavior (we all do it) and fight to save our own lives. In turn, G-d has
commanded us to flip it and project that outpouring of compassion and concern
we have for ourselves onto others. And
to clarify, Ahavat Israel
is not limited to just those belonging to the family: it must extend
further. Rav Kook, of blessed memory, is
the Master of Ahavat Israel
and he said the following:
The love of Israel requires the love
of every individual. If it demands the hatred of
any segment of humanity, that indicates that one's soul has not yet been purified of
its pollution, and is therefore unable to unite with the rarified supernal love. Orot
(Ahavat Yisrael 5)
Gad and
Reuven were blinded by their own desire; they were willing to trade their
inheritance in the land. The student
built himself a palace while neglecting his greatest inheritance, the Torah
that commands love of his neighbor. What part of our inheritance do we
sacrifice in the name of self-interest? On whom are we turning our backs? I know what you're thinking. Ahavat Israel. Lofty. I would answer that type of sentiment by
quoting that folksy sage Jewel, "We are G-d's eyes, G-d's hand, G-d's heart",
and by adding that we ARE our brother's keeper. The responsibility is our own.
The rabbi in the story taught a
valuable lesson, likewise this week's Parashah (Mattot/ Masei) also speaks of
the responsibility and commitment of Ahavat
Israel (Love of Israel). After
battling and conquering Midian, the tribes split up the spoils, the
tribes of Reuven and Gad then approach Moses with a proposition:
