Description: Chapter 1 - 01
Ahavas Chesed
Chapter 1 – 01
The pasuk which this sefer’s name is based upon is a pasuk in Sefer Michah:
הגיד לך האדם מה טוב ומה ה' דורש ממך כי אם עשות משפט ואהבת חסד
The Navi tells us, I will tell you, all humankind, what is good? What does Hashem expect from you? Only to do justice, and to love kindness.
This pasuk is perplexing, because why does it say the obligation is to love chessed? It should say Hashem expects of us to do justice and kindness! Asos mishpat va’chessed. Also, the navi prefaces by saying, I will tell humankind what Hashem wants from you, as if this is something we previously didn’t know. But who doesn’t know that Hashem demands justice – the whole parshah of ‘vi’aileh hamishpatim’ is full of that! The Torah in many places commands us to do chesed and kindness as well. If so, what is Michah coming to teach us, what is coming to tell us?
The Gemarah in Sanhedrin says a fascinating thing. It talks about someone who was summoned to a din Torah and has a dispute with his friend over a monetary matter, and he loses! The Beis Din determines that he is obligated to pay his friend, and in lieu of cash payment they take his shirt off his back. The Gemarah says this person should sing praises to Hashem! Lizamer zemiri!
The Chafetz Chaim explains this with a mashal: In a city there was a group of rebellious individuals. While planning their rebellion they settled on a certain article of clothing that all members of the movement would wear, to identify each other. One night, a group of the rebels were at a local inn, and they worked up a tab at the bar. When it came time to pay, they refused and got into an argument with the bartender. Eventually he won, and with brute force took their clothing from them as payment, and among the clothing was the specific article which identified them as rebels.
They left the inn upset and infuriated, but later that night there was a surprise sting operation by the government, who had received information about the rebels. Anyone wearing the identifying article of clothing was arrested and all his funds frozen. They were carted off to life imprisonment, and their property subsumed by the government. But this little group of rebels escaped, because they weren’t wearing that article of clothing! The innkeeper had taken it! When they realized what happened, they went back to the innkeeper and showered him with thanks! You think you did something nasty to us – you did us the greatest service and favor! You saved our lives!
Likewise, the Chafetz Chaim explains that when somebody steals something, or has money dishonestly, and his hands are not clean from gezel, it has the potential of causing him to lose all his money. In particular if he wears stolen clothing, it identifies him as a thief in Heaven, and brings upon him the full judgement, causing him to lose everything. Therefore, Chazal were justified in saying that if someone loses a Din Torah and they determine that the clothing he is wearing is not rightfully his, and they take it from him, he should sing their praises! They are saving his life and money!
Ahavas Chesed
Chapter 1 – 01
The pasuk which this sefer’s name is based upon is a pasuk in Sefer Michah:
הגיד לך האדם מה טוב ומה ה' דורש ממך כי אם עשות משפט ואהבת חסד
The Navi tells us, I will tell you, all humankind, what is good? What does Hashem expect from you? Only to do justice, and to love kindness.
This pasuk is perplexing, because why does it say the obligation is to love chessed? It should say Hashem expects of us to do justice and kindness! Asos mishpat va’chessed. Also, the navi prefaces by saying, I will tell humankind what Hashem wants from you, as if this is something we previously didn’t know. But who doesn’t know that Hashem demands justice – the whole parshah of ‘vi’aileh hamishpatim’ is full of that! The Torah in many places commands us to do chesed and kindness as well. If so, what is Michah coming to teach us, what is coming to tell us?
The Gemarah in Sanhedrin says a fascinating thing. It talks about someone who was summoned to a din Torah and has a dispute with his friend over a monetary matter, and he loses! The Beis Din determines that he is obligated to pay his friend, and in lieu of cash payment they take his shirt off his back. The Gemarah says this person should sing praises to Hashem! Lizamer zemiri!
The Chafetz Chaim explains this with a mashal: In a city there was a group of rebellious individuals. While planning their rebellion they settled on a certain article of clothing that all members of the movement would wear, to identify each other. One night, a group of the rebels were at a local inn, and they worked up a tab at the bar. When it came time to pay, they refused and got into an argument with the bartender. Eventually he won, and with brute force took their clothing from them as payment, and among the clothing was the specific article which identified them as rebels.
They left the inn upset and infuriated, but later that night there was a surprise sting operation by the government, who had received information about the rebels. Anyone wearing the identifying article of clothing was arrested and all his funds frozen. They were carted off to life imprisonment, and their property subsumed by the government. But this little group of rebels escaped, because they weren’t wearing that article of clothing! The innkeeper had taken it! When they realized what happened, they went back to the innkeeper and showered him with thanks! You think you did something nasty to us – you did us the greatest service and favor! You saved our lives!
Likewise, the Chafetz Chaim explains that when somebody steals something, or has money dishonestly, and his hands are not clean from gezel, it has the potential of causing him to lose all his money. In particular if he wears stolen clothing, it identifies him as a thief in Heaven, and brings upon him the full judgement, causing him to lose everything. Therefore, Chazal were justified in saying that if someone loses a Din Torah and they determine that the clothing he is wearing is not rightfully his, and they take it from him, he should sing their praises! They are saving his life and money!