EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,

We recently celebrated Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur where we made resolutions for the New Year. It’s not too late to add to that list. How about: “I will be a person of chessed.” We know the concept of  “mitzvah goreres mitzvah” (doing one good deed brings another). I believe that “chessed goreres chessed” applies as well. I believe that doing acts of goodness can have great side effects. In addition to being mitzvos, they make us better people. One can never know the true effect resulting from an act of chessed, not only on the recipient but others as well.

I heard a story from the great Rabbi Paysach Krohn that illustrates this point.

Rabbi Green was the Rav of a shul he established in the late 1950s in Hamilton, Ontario. Wanting to expand his reach and to be competitive with the reform and conservative temples in the area, he decided to build a new building with a lot of amenities that would attract young families. He did have one issue, however: lack of funding. Although he did not have a very large congregation or financial backing, he decided to go into the local bank and ask for a substantial loan to fund his project. When the manager asked him about the purpose of the loan, he responded that it was for “Jewish center,” fearing that an “Orthodox shul” would sound too small to sustain the loan. The manager asked him to clarify which denomination of Judaism this was for and he admitted, “I am Orthodox and would like funds to be able to build an Orthodox synagogue and community center.” Upon hearing this, the bank manager began to cry. He said, “I will give you the loan. Let me explain.  I grew up in Toledo, Ontario in the 1920s. My father passed away and left us no money. My town had a general store, and that’s where we bought our food and clothing. One day, we were really low on funds, and my mother could not decide what we needed most; she kept returning items to the store shelves. The owner noticed and questioned my mother about why she kept putting back food. She explained our situation. The owner, Sam, responded, ‘I’m an Orthodox Jew, and I will not let you suffer like this. As long as I own the store, you can take anything you need, regardless of whether you have money to pay. One day when you have the money, you can repay it, and if you don’t ever have the money, don’t worry about it.’” The bank manager concluded his story, saying, “Rabbi, the only reason we survived was because of that man. I always promised to return the favor, but I don’t know many Orthodox Jews. I will make sure you receive this loan, even if I have to personally guarantee it. And I’m doing it for Sam!”

You never know how many lives you can impact with chessed.

A Gut Yom Tov to all!

Warm regards,

Shea