Parshas Vaera 5760
Rav Podolsky z"l
Did you ever do something nice for someone? Did they say "thank you"? Did they feel grateful? If they didn't, how did you feel? After all, you extended yourself on their behalf. Couldn't they at least have expressed a modicum of gratitude?
Gratitude is a Jewish trait. A Jew is eternally grateful. The recipient of beneficence becomes forever indebted to his benefactor.
Gratitude fosters good will. When the patron sees that his actions are appreciated, he is inspired to further chessed. Love is generated, and the world, as a whole, is elevated.
According to this reasoning, gratitude need be felt only under the following conditions: 1. That the benefactor intended to bestow the kindness; 2. That the benefactor is capable of appreciating appreciation. Under such conditions, gratitude is not merely etiquette, it is elementary.
In our parsha, however, we find evidence of exceptional sensitivity to gratefulness, even in the stark absence of these two conditions.
When Hashem commanded Moshe to launch the plagues of blood and frogs, He stipulated that Aharon hit the waters of the Nile (Shmos 7:19;8:1). Moshe was forbidden from doing so. Why? Because the waters had protected Moshe when he was a baby (Rashi 7:19). The waters had served as the vehicle through which his mother had saved his life. Hence, Moshe could cause no harm, albeit symbolic, to the waters.
By the same token, the plague of lice (every Israeli mother's nightmare) had to be initiated by Aharon. The dust of the earth had served to protect Moshe when he killed the Egyptian taskmaster and buried him in the sand. Although Moshe was apprehended (due to the snitching of Dassan and Aviram -- Rashi 2:15), the sand nevertheless had "tried" to help him. Thus, Moshe was restricted from turning the sand into lice.
What is going on here? Did the water or sand "intend" to help Moshe? Had Moshe hit them with his staff, would they have been hurt or offended? Moreover, would Moshe's sensitivity be appreciated by his benefactors? Could they possibly understand his "thank you"?
The answer requires us to revolutionize our attitude toward gratitude. We do not feel or express gratitude merely for the emotional welfare of our benefactor. Rather, we do it for ourselves. For gratitude is a Jewish trait.
Thus, although the water and sand had no intention of helping Moshe, and could never appreciate his appreciation, Moshe nevertheless had to feel grateful. For Moshe was, after all, a Jew.
Let us not think that only a Jew of Moshe's caliber is expected to develop this stupendous sensitivity. "Into a well from which you drank water, do not cast mud (Bava Kama 92b)." The well can neither see nor feel; but we can. It is for ourselves that we are grateful to the well. By refraining from disdaining the well, we imbue in ourselves the most precious trait of HaKaras HaTov -- true Jewish gratitude.
Ultimately, by nurturing this trait, we come to acknowledge our Creator (Sefer HaChinuch 33). And this is the underlying theme of Judaism (Ramban Shmos 13:16). Yehudi means to thank!
Rav Yisrael Zev Gustman zt"l was a legendary Rosh Yeshiva here in Yerushalayim. A Talmid Chacham par-excellence, Rav Gustman's Torah writings reflect years of earnest searching for Torah truth. As he was not one to waste time, one can well imagine his students' bewilderment as they periodically witnessed him watering the bushes surrounding the yeshiva building.
Rav Gustman lived in Vilna before the war. When the Nazis came, he escaped to the woods and joined up with a group of partisans. The Nazis would frequently dispatch troops into the thick, Lithuanian woods to route out the rebels and Jews. Rav Gustman succeeded repeatedly in escaping detection by hiding among the thick undergrowth of the forest. Forever grateful, Rav Gustman watered the bushes next to the yeshiva. Rav Gustman was, after all, a Jew.
Most people are very distant from such sensitivity. A society in which a perfunctory "thank you" is the norm from even the most apathetic department store clerk (does she truly appreciate that I made my purchase in "her" store?) does not facilitate genuine Hakaras HaTov -- a deep, authentic acknowledgement of benefits received. But, as we have seen, this trait singularly singles out the Jew. If there is one thing we all want, it is to be known as Jews.
Thank you Hashem, for making me a Jew! |
