Take Two - Chessed at Speedway!
It was the most intense heat wave ever recorded by the Biblical Bureau of Meteorology. The year was 1714, BCE that is. On the Jewish calendar, it was the year 2047 since Creation.
Abraham is sitting at home, recuperating from major bris surgery (at his age, 99, it was major). Three strangers show up: hot, tired and hungry from their journey. Abraham jumps up, welcomes them, invites them in and prepares a royal feast for his weary guests.
The Torah teaches us that every single act of chesed (kindness) that Abraham performed on that day, had cosmic divine results on the future trajectory of his descendants, the Jewish people. As an example, to quote the Midrash, "God said to Abraham: You told them (your guests) that they should rest under the tree, by your life I swear that I will repay your children and spread a cloud over them in the wilderness. Additionally, in the land of Israel they will have the mitzvah of Sukkot that they shall dwell in for 7 days. Finally, in the World to Come they will enjoy divine reward, as a sukkah will be their shade."
What a powerful Midrashic statement! One action of inviting his guests to enjoy the shade of his tree, merited the Jewish people three eternal gifts: the Clouds of Glory in the desert; the mitzvah of sukkah; and protection in the World to Come, in heaven. Talk about a good investment. Except that Abraham had no idea at the time of his action, what the value and reward of his small act of kindness would be. Or, to quote one of my favorite lines, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
You never know the power of a mitzvah. It might just change the trajectory of the future forever! Although you never know the power of your actions, sometimes G-d gives us a glimpse into His divine window, and we are reminded just how meaningful a small gesture of kindness can really be.
Last Thursday morning, I had my coat on at 6:30, and I noticed my son hanging around, bored and tired. He had woken up early and it was too late for him to go back to sleep. Realizing that he didn't leave to school until 7:30, I thought he might appreciate getting out and buying a treat. I didn't really have the time for it, but I felt that it was the right thing to do. So, hi-ho, hi-ho, it was off to Speedway we go. Devon was the name of the cashier who checked us out. He seemed tired and out of sorts, so I offered to buy him a cup of coffee. He really perked up, smiled, thanked me and took me up on my offer, and swiped my card a second time to buy himself a 12 oz. cup of coffee. I took my son back home, and promptly forgot about the incident.
Later that afternoon, I was driving through Bedford Heights, and stopped off at a Speedway there for a cup of coffee. I filled up a 12 oz. cup of coffee, and took it to the cashier. He refused to take my money, and when I tried to insist, he said that he wants to give it to me as his "act of kindness." I suddenly remembered and made the connection between the 12 oz. cup of coffee that I bought for a Speedway cashier, and the one that a Speedway cashier bought for me. Both on the same day! I actually became emotional when I thought about it, realizing that I had just witnessed what I considered a Divine hug.
G-d was not repaying me for my act of chesed, but it felt like He was showing me "measure for measure" that my small gesture earlier that morning did not go unnoticed. It didn't just fly under the divine radar. We never know the power of a cup of coffee, a smile, a kind word, an act of chesed. It might just change the trajectory of the world. Or at the very least, a free cup of Joe!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Sruly Koval
