Rebbetzin Leah Gans
Let us return to the book Ahavat Chesed. “And how great is this quality, for through its merit a person is destined to enter the World to Come (that is, a portion is reserved for him).
This is recounted in tractate Ta'anit (22a), in the story of Rabbi Beroka. [Rabbi Beroka often went to the market (…), where he would meet the prophet Eliyahu. One day, Rabbi Beroka asked: “Is there anyone in this market who merits the World to Come?” At first, Eliyahu answered that there was not, but then they saw a man wearing black shoes with red laces (as was customary among non-Jews), and Eliyahu said: “He does.” Rabbi Beroka ran after him and asked: “What do you do for a living?” The man answered: “I'll tell you tomorrow.” The next day, he asked again, and the man answered: “I am a jailer. In the prison, I separate the men from the women and place my bed between them so that they do not come to transgressions.
If I see a Jewish woman in the prison, I try to save her, even at the risk of my life, so that the non-Jews do not set their sights on her. Once, a betrothed Jewish girl was brought to the prison. I poured wine lees (which look like blood) onto the hem of her dress and said: ‘It's her time of the month,’ and they were disgusted by her.” Then Rabbi Beroka asked: “Why do you wear black shoes and red laces?” The man answered: “I mingle with non-Jews, and they do not know that I am Jewish. When they devise harsh laws against the Jews, I learn about them and pass the information on to the Jewish sages. They plead for mercy, and the laws are not put into effect.” “And why, when I asked you about your work yesterday, did you say you would tell me tomorrow?” “At that moment, a harsh law was being passed, and I said to myself: First of all, I will go to the sages so that they can pray for the law to be revoked and for mercy.”
While they are still talking, two people approach, and the prophet Eliyahu says of them: “They are worthy of the World to Come.”
Rabbi Beroka asked them: “What do you do for a living?” They answered: “We are jesters and entertainers. We lift people's spirits. If we see two people quarreling, we (make them laugh) and reconcile them” (and of this it is written: “He enjoys their fruits in the World to Come… peace between people.”]
Rabbeinu Yonah also wrote: If a person advises many people to give tzedakah and do chesed, he himself will receive the merit of the many who (gave) tzedakah (at his prompting), and of the souls he has made. And he will be assured of the merit of the tzedakah that will be given (under his influence), as it is said (Yeshayahu, 32:8): “But the noble man gives noble counsel and will stand firm in nobility.”
And our sages said (Bava Batra, 9a): “The deed is greater than the one who performs it—this refers to a love of good deeds” [here and below, the passages in quotation marks are quotations from Ahavat Chesed—translator's note]
If we ourselves do not know what might help in a particular situation, but we know someone who has faced a similar problem and can put them in touch so that one can advise the other—this too is chesed.
To be continued
Prepared by Mrs. Zissi Skarzhinskaya