From an email....:-)
MAZEL TOOVVVVVV to my beloved friends Rabbi Jakey and Rebbetzin Dahlia Berman on the birth of their daughter!! May they and Dovi [the happy brother] see limitless nachas from this holy neshama in good health and prosperity. A special mazel tov to the grandparents and other joyful relatives.
This dvar Torah is dedicated to the hatzlacha and bracha of numerous beloved friends who "came in in the clutch". Just as they helped me – may Hashem help them: A partial list… [sorry for unintentional omissions]: Mori Vi-rabbi Shlita [who was mekayim the mitzvah of tchiyas hameisim for me], R' Shmuel Binyamin Stein, R' Aharon Yisrael Feit, R' Yehuda Spindler, R' Avraham Yitzchak Jaspan, R' Yosef Ezra Jaspan, R' Moshe Yehuda Hanus, R' Yehuda Yaakov Spindler, R' Daniel Zweigbaum, HaRav Scott Hoberman, r' Yosef Tzvi Ehrman, R' Asher Zelig Ehrman, HaRav Moshe Gavriel Bernstein, R' Baruch Barelli, HaRav Yehoshua Weinberg, R' Zach Sherman, R' Avromi Summers, R' Eytan Feldman, R' Shimshon Yitzchak Garber, HaRav Rami Strossberg, HaRav Shlomo Einhorn, R' Shaya Altschuller, R' Chaim Schreck, R' Hersh Yonatan Pollack, HaRav Akiva Yisrael Balk, HaRav Meir Zeev Steinmetz, HaRav Meir Simcha Stromer, R' Daniel Bornstein, HaRav Dovid Walter, R' David Mott, R' Moshe Frohlich, HaRav Yaakov Lyons, HaRav Daniel Edelstein, Harav Ariel Edelstein, R' Elie Mishaan, R' Elitzur Agus, HaRav Zev Reinitz, R' Yehoshua Goldberg, R' Yisrael Tzadok Forgash, R' Shaul Lubetski, R' Ephraim Abba Gervis, R' Elie Schwartz, R' Boruch Jerome, R' Moshe Naftali Richman, R' Yehoshua Richman, and the holy Nashim Shaindy Chana bas Malka, Rivka Esther bas Eliyahu Peretz, Elana Simone bas Miriam.
Last and most – my parents!
I would ideally mention EVERYBODY who has ever helped me in any way but then this email would be thousands of pages lonnggggg – at least.
One thing I am sure of – Hashem helps not only those who help themselves but PRIMARILY those who help others. Hashem will bestow great bracha in both this and the next worlds to all of my beloved friends!!
Since we are talking of chesed – It is my delight to share thoughts on this beautiful Jewish middah from the parsha. In this weeks parsha we learn about performing pure chesed. Let's see…
אם חסד תלוה את עמי – IF you lend money to my nation. Rebbi Yishmael explains that NORMALLY the word אם means "if" but here is an exception and it means "when". So one is OBLIGATED to loan money to his fellow. That is a high level of expectation! Why should I be compelled to lend MY [see the Ohr Hachaim on the pasuk] hard earned money to someone else?? But that is what the Torah requires because the essence of the Jew is that of a Baal Chesed.
את עמי – To my nation. It can also mean "with me". Treat the poor person nicely because he is "with me" – together with Hashem [Rashi]. Hashem is with the downtrodden as the pasuk says אני את דכא ושפל רוח - Hashem dwells with the downtrodden and low of spirit. If you want to get close to Hashem – get close to those "down on their luck".
את העני עמך – The poor person is "with you" – One must empathize with the poor person as if he himself is the one in need. This is hard work because the nature of a person is to feel close to himself but not necessarily close to strangers who want his money….
לא תהיה לו כנושה - Don't be like a creditor. Rashi explains that one should relate to him as if he was never loaned the money.
It is a great feeling of superiority to feel that the other guy needs me and I saved him. The Torah tries to negate such feels and exhorts us to maintain a feeling of equality with all – even those people who need our chesed.
לא תשימון עליו נשך – Don't take interest. Chesed must be free of any personal gain. Maybe that is what Dovid Hamelech referred to when he spoke about those who are close to Hashem – נקי כפים – Clean hands. Simply taken this means that one's hands should be free of any thievery or dishonesty. It can ALSO mean that one hands are clean from doing chesed in order to TAKE something in return. If one takes interest he loses his portion in the world to come as it says in Yechezkel [18] בנשך נתן בתרבית לקח וחי לא יחיה. Chesed done for personal gain is a grievous sin.
The Ohr Hachaim we alluded to earlier says that one has more than he needs it just in order to hold onto in order to distribute it to those in need. If one takes interest then he is showing that he feels that it was really his own money to start with. [See a similar idea in the Seforno on the pasuk in this weeks parsha והיה כי יצעק אלי.]
The Mishna in Pirkei Avos says in the name of Shammai – הוי מקבל את כל האדם בסבר פנים יפות – receive all people with a friendly countenance [i.e. smiley face]. It is noteworthy that SHAMMAI teaches us this obligation. Shammai's middah was strict justice as opposed to Hillel who preached chesed and loving kindness. This means that the letter of the law requires that we smile at our fellow human beings. Just as loaning money is a strict obligation upon everybody – so a smiley face .
[Based in part on a talk given by Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz and published in ספר הזכרון למרן הגר"ח שמואלביץ].
A sweet delicious smiley Shabbos to one and all 
!
Bi-ahava,
Me
