Thursday, November 14, 2019

Cultivating a Culture of Caring


As a way to purify himself and improve his character, Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk accepted upon himself two years of wandering in exile. When he finally returned to Lizhensk, Reb Elimelech wanted to know how his family had fared during his self-imposed exile. He approached the very first man he saw and inquired about his family. The man replied that his son Eliezer was very sick. Reb Elimelech hurried home, burst into his home and immediately asked his wife, “What’s wrong with Eliezer?” His wife responded that Eliezer is fine and in school at the moment. “But I was told that Eliezer was very sick,” Reb Elimelech explained to his wife. After a moment’s thought she responded, “Whoever told you that must have confused our Eliezer with another Eliezer in the neighborhood, who is indeed very sick.” Reb Elimelech was relieved to find out that his son was okay. But after a moment of reflection, he chastised himself saying, “Elimelech! After two years of exile, undertaken to improve your character, you still distinguish between your Eliezer and someone else’s Eliezer?!” If so, then I have not accomplished anything with my exile.” Then Reb Elimelech turned around and went into exile for another year.

In Parshat Vayera we read how Hashem remembers Sara and she gives birth to Yitzchak. This episode comes immediately after we are told how Avraham prayed on behalf of Avimelech and his household, thereby restoring their reproductive functions after they were taken away as a Divine punishment. The Talmud (Baba Kamma 92a) notes the connection between these two stories and teaches:

“Anyone who asks for compassion from Heaven on behalf of another, and he requires compassion from Heaven concerning that same matter, he is answered first.”

The Tiferet Shmuel translates this Talmudic passage slightly differently: “Anyone who prays for another as intensely as he would pray for his own needs, is a prayer that will be given priority.”

Empathy and sympathy are benevolent emotions. Both are ways in which a person shows concern for a fellow human being. But neither of these emotions achieve the level of connection and concern that Jews are supposed to show for one another. Within the Jewish People, it’s not enough to love one another. The Torah commands us to “Love your fellow as you love yourself.” Rabbi Akiva taught that this mandate is a fundamental principle in the Torah. It is a high degree of identification with another person, one that is meant to be a hallmark of the Jewish People. The principle upon which this identification is built is called Arvut: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Lazeh. On a spiritual level, the Jewish People are one complex yet unified organism. If one Jew is in trouble, it’s not only a personal problem, but it has an impact on the totality of the nation. When we help a fellow Jew we should view it in some way as if we are helping ourselves.

Parshat Vayera has been designated as Bikur Cholim Awareness Shabbat. Just as God visited Avraham when he was recuperating from his circumcision, so too do we have an obligation to tend to the physical and spiritual needs of those who are ill out of a sense of Arvut. Please take a moment to review all of the services offered by Bikur Cholim of Hollywood and find a way to get involved.
We are also fortunate this Shabbat to host participants in the Peace of Mind program. We are honored to have with us a group of soldiers who bravely defended the State of Israel. As proud Zionist we believe that members of the IDF serve not just the State of citizens of Israel, but all Jews around the world. It is a privilege for us to express our sense of gratitude and Arvut to those who have demonstrated their sense of Arvut in defense of the Jewish State.

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