A Beautiful Child

Rav Yehoshua ben Chananya was looking into a jail in Rome where he saw one of the inmates: A beautiful child with gorgeous eyes and his locks arranged in curls. He quoted the pasuk [Yishayahu 42/24] "Who has given Jacob over for spoil and Yisrael to plunderers!" The child answered by quoting the end of the pasuk that says that it is all from Hashem because we have sinned. Rav Yehoshua exclaimed "I am sure that this child will be a great Rabbi!" so he redeemed him for a large sum of money and in fact he ended up being the great Rav Yishmael ben Elisha [Gittin 58a].

Why is it so important for the gemara to note the beauty of this child? The hallmark of the tzaddik is that even in the worst of times he remembers that he is a prince, the son of Hashem, and he looks accordingly. He made sure that even his hair was arranged appropriately as Yosef Hatzadik did in his time. The gemara says that a king must make sure his hair looks good from the passuk "Melech biyofyo techena einecha" - You should appreciate the beauty of a king. We must never lose hope - even at the worst of times. Just from looking at him there was already an indication that he was someone special.

Another question: Why was Rav Yehoshua so impressed by what the child said? It was just the end of the pasuk that he had quoted? Rav Unterman [former Chief Rabbi] - The child was on the road to greatness becuase he took personal responsibility. He could have said that the reason things are so bad is becuase of the hatred of the goyim, or because of political reasons or given a thousand other explanations but instead he quoted the pasuk which requires us to take personal responsibility for our circumstances.

Mussar haskel: 1] Always look respectable - you are a ben melech. 2] Don't be influenced by the media who provides much commentary as to why things happen. Things happen because He decreed and "AIN OD MILVADO!!!!"