Throw Your Bread in the Waters

Hello Everybody!

I hope everyone’s week was a good one. Although, there’s no reason for me to hope. You see, the week has come and gone; even if I hope that it was a good one, it can’t change. I never understood why people say, “I hope you’re enjoying your summer.” How can you hope about something that already happened? It’s like saying, “I hope you won the lottery.” This is me just being annoying.

This coming week, we will be beginning the month of Elul, which is the month that precedes our Day of Judgment. It is the month during which we all make changes and resolutions. It is the month of actions, and not words. Sephardim begin waking up early or going to sleep for late for selichot. It’s a big deal.

One cute idea on Elul (אלול) is that if you spell it backwards, you get the word lulei (לולא). Lulei means “if only.” “If only I would do……..” Fill in the blank. “I should have…..” “I could have…..” These are phrases that we don’t like to have in our vocabularies, but unfortunately, we all do. This month of Elul is the time to turn the lulei around. Elul islulei backwards because we are turning things around, and during this month, we don’t make excuses. We do what we are supposed to. Let us all not lose the opportunity, and begin progressing from the very beginning, this Wednesday night. There will never again be Rosh Chodesh Elul 5769.

This week’s parasha, Parashat Re’eh, discusses an eer hanidachat. This is a city in which the people have been persuaded to serve idol-worship. Unfortunately, the entire city must be burned down because the damage is done. Obviously, it will be hard for anyone to take part in the burning of a Jewish city, even though the entire city is rebelling against Hashem. Therefore, after the Torah demands we burn it down, it says, “Hashem will grant you mercy, and He will be merciful toward you” (Devarim 13:18).

What does this passuk mean? I understand the second part. “He will be merciful toward you.” I get that. He’ll have mercy on us. But what does it mean that He will grant us mercy? Is that the same thing? Does that also simply mean that He will be merciful toward us? Can’t be, because the Torah wouldn’t just repeat itself. So what does the first clause mean? “Hashem will grant you mercy.”

The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (151b) learns something very interesting from this passuk. “Hashem will have mercy on everyone who has mercy on other people.” How does the Gemara understand this passuk? The first part of the passuk - “Hashem will grant you mercy” – means that Hashem will grant us the ability to have mercy. Hashem will grant us with the ability to be merciful. Hashem will gift us with this beautiful quality trait of having mercy on others. And, if you live up to that, and you take that gift and actually have mercy on other people, then and only then “He will be merciful toward you.” If we give to others, then Hashem will give to us. And the contrary is also true, sadly.

There is another beautiful passuk in this week’s parasha. You should give charity to the poor people, and, “because of this, Hashem will bless you in everything that you do” (Devarim 15:10). Once again, we see this idea that what goes around comes around. If we give to the poor people, Hashem will give to this.

I like to call this The Boomerang Effect. Shlomo Hemelech writes in Kohelet (11:1), throw your bread in the water, because one day, the waves will bring the bread back to you. Now, of course, we don’t do good things only for their rewards. That’s very childish. I’ll behave if you give me a candy. We don’t do mitzvot for selfish reasons. But maybe that can at least be a starter’s incentive, until we do it all out of a pure heart.

This month of Elul, let’s give to others. Let us try to give as much of charity as possible. Times are hard. Hashem will give us if we give. Keep that in mind. Try to be merciful on others. If someone doesn’t deserve something, don’t let that be the reason that you don’t give it to him. After all, we all know that we don’t deserve all the good that Hashem gives us, but we most definitely want to continue receiving it. Remember, Hashem grants you that ability to be merciful. Don’t let that go to waste.

May this coming up month be the best month of our lives. May we take corrective measures to make self-improvements. And may we raise the entire world with us.

Shabbat Shalom!

Avraham Adam Sabzevari

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