Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv, better known as the Alter of Kelm, once wrote a letter of gratitude to a great Jewish philanthropist whom we assume was Baron Edmond Rothschild. Here is a quote from that letter (recorded in the book Ohr Rashaz):
“I am writing to thank your exalted
honor to give thanks and to bless you for all the kindnesses you constantly do
for Hashem’s flock by choosing to follow the advice of the Holy One Blessed is
He: ‘Choose life.’
“Do not suspect me, chas
v’shalom, of seeking my own benefit; Heaven forbid I should do that. But in
my humble opinion I am obligated to give thanks to you and to bless you for the
wonderful things you do for Klal Yisrael for when a person as respected as you
stands before kings and upholds the fortress of our religion the ordinary
people take note and learn from you. That is a great kiddush Hashem which you
have brought about and spread throughout the world and your reward will be very
great.”
In that same letter Reb Simcha Zissel shares a lesson from
Parshat Bo. The last of the ten plagues is the death of all Egyptian firstborn
males. We read in Bo that the firstborn of the Jewish People, human and animal,
will forever be sanctified due to the miracle of Makkat Bechorot. The Alter
asked: What did the Jewish firstborn do in Egypt to earn this status of
heightened sanctity? Also, being a firstborn is merely an accident of birth.
Why should that warrant an elevated status? The Alter of Kelm answered that we
learn from here that even passive participation in a Kiddush Hashem is a
noteworthy accomplishment. It is meritorious if God chooses you to play a role
in a Kiddush Hashem, even if it is only a passive role.
After sharing this Dvar Torah with the Baron, the Alter went
on to write that if Parshat Bo teaches us that a passive participant in Kiddush
Hashem is rewarded to such a great degree, then how much greater must the
reward be for someone like Baron Rothschild who is an active contributor to
Kiddush Hashem.
One of our major tasks in life is to bring a positive
awareness and consciousness of God in this world. This is what we mean by
creating Kiddush Hashem. Sometimes this is accomplished through hard and
difficult actions. Sometimes it can be accomplished through passivity, like by
just being a first born. Opportunities to create Kiddush Hashem lie along a
continuum, and we should not underestimate the potential of creating Kiddush
Hashem throughout our routine and normal activities. The Talmud teaches just
how easy Kiddush Hashem can be accomplished 9Yoma 86a):
One should do so in that he
should read Torah, and learn Mishna, and serve Torah scholars,
and he should be pleasant with people in his business transactions. What do
people say about such a person? Fortunate is his father who taught him
Torah, fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah, woe to the people who
have not studied Torah. So-and-so, who taught him Torah, see how pleasant are
his ways, how proper are his deeds. The verse states about him and others
like him: “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified”
(Isaiah 49:3).
The Talmud also warns us that it can be just as easy to
create Chilul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name, if we are not careful with
our actions nor with the perception of those deeds. With a little bit of
attention and intention we have opportunities all the time to create Kiddush
Hashem through relatively easy, normal and routine actions and behaviors. Let
us take advantage of those easy Kiddush Hashem opportunities when they present
themselves.
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