Description: Chapter 2 - 02
Ahavas Chesed
Chapter 2 – 02
The Chafetz Chayim listed out all the possible times in our lives where we need financial assistance from our friends, either because of poverty, or a loan to start a business, or help finding a job. We all need chessed from our friends in other ways as well, which can’t be done with money. Every person when he has a simchah, if he’s getting married, or his children are getting married, or they have a child, they need people to come and participate in the simcha! A person can’t rejoice all alone. When a person has a reason to be sad unfortunately, he needs his family and friends to comfort him and offer moral support to strengthen him, whether he is in availus lo alainu, or other worries, so that he doesn’t chas v’shalom fall into illness as a result of sorrow.
If you are trying to lift a heavy load, or need help assembling something, there’s a mitzvah of ‘prikah and te’inah,’ to assist a friend in this manner. If you are traveling and you need a place to stay, you are in need of the mitzvah of hachnassas orchim. If a person get’s sick, lo alainu, he needs the help of others to visit him, and to assist him in getting the finest possible care.
When a person passes away after 120, they certainly need the chessed of others to perform the final chessed shel emes.
In short, the world is built upon the foundation of chessed – society couldn’t continue without kindness, and that’s why the Torah stresses the importance of this middah so much. This could possibly be included in what the Mishnah means when it says, the world stands upon three things, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilas Chasadim.
In addition, it is well-known, as we have spent much time on this in Derech Hashem, that the purpose of life is to connect to Hashem and bask in His presence to enjoy the beauty of Hashem’s Shechinah, which is the greatest good possible, and the most enjoyable and pleasurable experience in this world. The only way a person can merit to do this, is if he has connected to Hashem in this world, as the pasuk commands us, ‘vi’lidavkah bo,’ meaning to emulate Hashem’s middos. What are Hashem’s middos that we have to strengthen ourselves to emulate? ‘Ki chafetz chessed hu,’ Hashem desires only kindness! If we fill our lives with pursuit of chessed, we will forge a strong connection and relationship with Hashem, and then we can be zocheh to the true connection in the olam ha’emes, when we will realize the purpose of life. That connection will elevate into the beauty of basking in Hashem’s glory.
But if a person distanced himself from kindness and chessed, they will have no connection with Hashem, and how can they possible achieve or merit to connect to Hashem in the world-to-come.
Ahavas Chesed
Chapter 2 – 02
The Chafetz Chayim listed out all the possible times in our lives where we need financial assistance from our friends, either because of poverty, or a loan to start a business, or help finding a job. We all need chessed from our friends in other ways as well, which can’t be done with money. Every person when he has a simchah, if he’s getting married, or his children are getting married, or they have a child, they need people to come and participate in the simcha! A person can’t rejoice all alone. When a person has a reason to be sad unfortunately, he needs his family and friends to comfort him and offer moral support to strengthen him, whether he is in availus lo alainu, or other worries, so that he doesn’t chas v’shalom fall into illness as a result of sorrow.
If you are trying to lift a heavy load, or need help assembling something, there’s a mitzvah of ‘prikah and te’inah,’ to assist a friend in this manner. If you are traveling and you need a place to stay, you are in need of the mitzvah of hachnassas orchim. If a person get’s sick, lo alainu, he needs the help of others to visit him, and to assist him in getting the finest possible care.
When a person passes away after 120, they certainly need the chessed of others to perform the final chessed shel emes.
In short, the world is built upon the foundation of chessed – society couldn’t continue without kindness, and that’s why the Torah stresses the importance of this middah so much. This could possibly be included in what the Mishnah means when it says, the world stands upon three things, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilas Chasadim.
In addition, it is well-known, as we have spent much time on this in Derech Hashem, that the purpose of life is to connect to Hashem and bask in His presence to enjoy the beauty of Hashem’s Shechinah, which is the greatest good possible, and the most enjoyable and pleasurable experience in this world. The only way a person can merit to do this, is if he has connected to Hashem in this world, as the pasuk commands us, ‘vi’lidavkah bo,’ meaning to emulate Hashem’s middos. What are Hashem’s middos that we have to strengthen ourselves to emulate? ‘Ki chafetz chessed hu,’ Hashem desires only kindness! If we fill our lives with pursuit of chessed, we will forge a strong connection and relationship with Hashem, and then we can be zocheh to the true connection in the olam ha’emes, when we will realize the purpose of life. That connection will elevate into the beauty of basking in Hashem’s glory.
But if a person distanced himself from kindness and chessed, they will have no connection with Hashem, and how can they possible achieve or merit to connect to Hashem in the world-to-come.