Description: Chapter 4 - 03
Ahavas Chesed
Chapter 4 – 03
The Chafetz Chaim has a fascinating footnote in this chapter. The pasuk in Yirmiyah says:
ולך ה' חסד כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו
Many ask on this pasuk, why is it a kindness of Hashem for Him to repay a person according to his actions? Isn’t that what the person deserves? That should be called ‘emes,’ not ‘chesed!’
The Chafetz Chaim gives a mashal to an apprentice of a master goldsmith, who signed up for a five-year apprenticeship, where he would live by the master and eat and board by him, and paid 25 silver coins for the course. However, he made up that in the fifth year when he is already a fully-trained master, he should be paid a half a silver coin a week for his work.
Come the fifth year, the master had too much work, and started to outsource to other master goldsmiths. The apprentice saw that his master paid those masters 4 silver coins a week for their work. He approached his master with a complaint! You are tricking me! I am only getting a half coin for the same work that those people are getting 4 coins for! The master replied, ‘You are being foolish. I trained you, I am feeding you, I am giving you a roof over your head, and clothing you. I pay you a half coin, and you should be happy you even get that! But those masters weren’t trained by me, don’t eat my food or board by me – so I have to pay them the full 4 coins.
Likewise, if we consider the mitzvos that we do, we put on tefillin – but on what? Our hands! Who created that hand? Who gave us the mind to do mitzvos? Where did we get the money to buy tefillin from? It is all from Hakadosh Baruch Hu! In truth, all we do is bechirah, we choose to do the mitzvah, everything else is provided from above.
Nevertheless, Hashem pays us and rewards us as if we are doing the whole mitzvah on our own – that is what the pasuk means. You Hashem are kind, because You reward a person according to his actions, as if he is providing everything, and not You!
The Chafetz Chaim writes that this was the pshat he always used to say in this pasuk. However, now that he learned this topic and we have discussed the concept of Hashem judging alone, He judges with mercy and kindness, much more than if the Beis Din Shel Maalah is involved, the Chafetz Chaim has a new understanding in this pasuk.
The pasuk says, You Hashem perform kindness, because You repay a person according to his actions – the word ‘atah’ in this pasuk is redundant! Saying ‘tishalaim’ is sufficient, there’s no need to add ‘atah’. But the explanation is as we have been discussing. When Hashem judges alone, then there is much kindness. The fact that Hashem repays a person’s actions according to his deeds, and doesn’t factor in so much of his sins and improper thoughts, and lack of adherence to halachah, and so on, is because Hashem alone is the one judging and evaluating the actions! To You Hashem alone, can there be kindness, and then You will repay a person according to his actions, although he may not merit that according to strict din!
Ahavas Chesed
Chapter 4 – 03
The Chafetz Chaim has a fascinating footnote in this chapter. The pasuk in Yirmiyah says:
ולך ה' חסד כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו
Many ask on this pasuk, why is it a kindness of Hashem for Him to repay a person according to his actions? Isn’t that what the person deserves? That should be called ‘emes,’ not ‘chesed!’
The Chafetz Chaim gives a mashal to an apprentice of a master goldsmith, who signed up for a five-year apprenticeship, where he would live by the master and eat and board by him, and paid 25 silver coins for the course. However, he made up that in the fifth year when he is already a fully-trained master, he should be paid a half a silver coin a week for his work.
Come the fifth year, the master had too much work, and started to outsource to other master goldsmiths. The apprentice saw that his master paid those masters 4 silver coins a week for their work. He approached his master with a complaint! You are tricking me! I am only getting a half coin for the same work that those people are getting 4 coins for! The master replied, ‘You are being foolish. I trained you, I am feeding you, I am giving you a roof over your head, and clothing you. I pay you a half coin, and you should be happy you even get that! But those masters weren’t trained by me, don’t eat my food or board by me – so I have to pay them the full 4 coins.
Likewise, if we consider the mitzvos that we do, we put on tefillin – but on what? Our hands! Who created that hand? Who gave us the mind to do mitzvos? Where did we get the money to buy tefillin from? It is all from Hakadosh Baruch Hu! In truth, all we do is bechirah, we choose to do the mitzvah, everything else is provided from above.
Nevertheless, Hashem pays us and rewards us as if we are doing the whole mitzvah on our own – that is what the pasuk means. You Hashem are kind, because You reward a person according to his actions, as if he is providing everything, and not You!
The Chafetz Chaim writes that this was the pshat he always used to say in this pasuk. However, now that he learned this topic and we have discussed the concept of Hashem judging alone, He judges with mercy and kindness, much more than if the Beis Din Shel Maalah is involved, the Chafetz Chaim has a new understanding in this pasuk.
The pasuk says, You Hashem perform kindness, because You repay a person according to his actions – the word ‘atah’ in this pasuk is redundant! Saying ‘tishalaim’ is sufficient, there’s no need to add ‘atah’. But the explanation is as we have been discussing. When Hashem judges alone, then there is much kindness. The fact that Hashem repays a person’s actions according to his deeds, and doesn’t factor in so much of his sins and improper thoughts, and lack of adherence to halachah, and so on, is because Hashem alone is the one judging and evaluating the actions! To You Hashem alone, can there be kindness, and then You will repay a person according to his actions, although he may not merit that according to strict din!