Right after Shavuos last year, I took my son on a hike called Stairway to Heaven, in Vernon, New Jersey. At the top of the mountain, someone called out, “Rabbi Bodenheim! We were just talking about you this morning at our breakfast table!” I was taken aback! He continued, “We were talking about a dvar Torah you wrote. It made such an impact on us, and it’s helping us navigate a life event we’re going through.” “Baruch Hashem! I am so glad it’s helping you and your family,” I responded.
I had been thinking about how much time it takes me to prepare, write and deliver these divrei Torah and was wondering how many people really listen or read them and find them meaningful. Now, Hashem had sent me a message of encouragement regarding my Divrei Torah. This short conversation on a hike and the complimentary words I received really strengthened me and encouraged me to continue investing time and effort in these Divrei Torah.
Certainly, this heaven-sent message atop a mountain was very timely following Shavuos, the day Hashem came down on top of Mount Sinai to give us the Torah. This idea of a small gesture going a long way is illustrated in Parshas Nasso, which contains the Birkas Kohanim, the three-part blessing that Kohanim give during davening on Yomim Tovim. One of these brachos is, “Yisa Hashem panav eilecha…—May Hashem lift His countenance to you…” The Gemara translates this blessing as, “May Hashem favor you.” The Gemara quotes another pasuk which says, “asher lo yisa panim”—Hashem does not play favorites. How do we reconcile these two pesukim which seem to have opposite messages?
The Sfas Emes says that if we favor Hashem, then Hashem will show an extra level of favoritism to us. Normally, Hashem does not show favoritism, but when Klal Yisrael goes the extra mile for Hashem (lifnim mishuras hadin—more than the law requires), Hashem favors Klal Yisrael. For example, the Gemara says that Hashem commands Bnei Yisrael to recite Birkas HaMazon when they finish eating a meal where bread is eaten and they are satiated. However, Klal Yisrael accepted upon themselves an extra stringency, to recite Birkas HaMazon for consuming just a kezayis (the size of an olive) of bread, even if they are not satiated. By accepting to do more for Hashem, Hashem, in kind, wants to do more for us.
The Sfas Emes says further that Hashem doesn’t favor a person who doesn’t deserve it. However, Hashem looks at the small gestures a person makes and treats them as large items. Hashem magnifies and focuses on that mitzvah and not on other areas, because the person took an extra step to connect with Hashem.
I know people who have “bentching phobia.” “Would you like a sandwich?” I ask. “No, I don’t want to have to bentch,” they sometimes reply. “Why?” I ask. “Because it takes time.” Some might argue, correctly, that it’s time well spent! My good friend Leiby Leichter intentionally chooses to eat bread for meals, even when the meals are small, so he’ll be able to recite Birkas HaMazon. Remember, there are only two brachos that are Torah-mandated: Birkas HaTorah and Birks HaMazon. Leiby chooses to eat bread at every meal so that he has the maximum number of opportunities to fulfill this mitzvah from the Torah of reciting Birkas HaMazon.
The little extra things we do are what really develop and intensify a relationship. Before I got married, I went to my rebbeim and asked them for advice for a happy marriage. One told me that when you give your wife a gift, write a note or a card to accompany it. Although the gift is much more valuable than the card, the note communicates why you are presenting your wife with this gift and shows that you really care. The note is a small thing…but it’s really big! The note demonstrates your feelings and helps develop the relationship. Similarly, in our Avodas Hashem, the small extra things we do show how much we are interested in pursuing a relationship with Hashem.
Each time we encounter a situation where we can demonstrate a little extra effort in our Avodas Hashem, we should consider that although this extra undertaking in furthering our relationship with Hashem might seem small to us, it’s a large, rewardable effort in the eyes of Hashem.
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com
