Who Really Sees

Sweet Friends Shalom:-)!

Let's learn a shtickel Navi [Shmuel Aleph 16].

Shmuel is told by Hashem to annoint a new king. He was to go to Yishai, have a feast [Jews and food...] and wait for instructions. He goes to Yishai and sees his son Eliav and says "He must be the one!"

Not.

Hashem says "Don't look at his appearance and tall stature for I have rejected him. כי לא אשר יראו האדם כי האדם יראה לעינים וה' יראה ללבב - Because it is not as man sees, for man sees what his eyes tell him and Hashem sees to the heart.

Then Yishai presented each one of his seven sons in front of Shmuel and each one was not chosen. So Shmuel asks if there are any more. Yishai says "Ahhhhhh, there is the youngest one. He is looking after the sheep". They call Dovid and HE was the one. Shmuel annointed him as king and went on his happy way.

What a story! We think we know somebody. We don't!! Yishai THOUGHT that all of his sons were candidates to be king except for little Dovid. Dovid was an afterthought. He was completely off. It was Dovid who was the true King of Israel.

When you see a simple Jew, maybe before you stands a great hidden tzaddik/tzadekes. When you see someone who looks impressive - don't automatically assume that the external appearance reflects an internal reality. Be humble. We don't know. Some people think that they do. "I am a good judge of character" is an oft heard refrain. But the Navi says otherwise.

כי האדם יראה לעינים וה' יראה ללבב.

Wonder of wonders.