The prophet Micha taught (Micha 6:8):
He has told you what is good and what God seeks from you:
to do justice, loving kindness and to walk humbly with your God.
We learn in the Talmud, Sukkah 49b:
Acts of kindness are superior to charity in three respects:
Charity can be performed only with one’s money while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money. Charity is given to the poor while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the wealthy. Charity is given to the living while acts of kindness are performed both for the living and for the dead.
According to Rabbi Elazar:
Anyone who performs charity and justice is considered as though he filled the whole world in its entirety with kindness. As it is stated (Tehilim 33): “He loves righteousness and justice; the kindness of God fills the earth.”
We are taught to follow God’s example in the Talmud, Sotah 14a:
Rabbi Chama BaRabbi Chanina asks:
What is the meaning of that which is written in Parshat Re’eh (Dvarim 13:5) “After the Lord your God shall you walk…”
Is it actually possible for a person to follow the Divine Presence?
After all- it says in Dvarim 4:24: “For the Lord your God is a devouring fire”, and one cannot approach fire.
Rather, one should follow God’s example.
Just as God clothes the naked, as He did with Adam and Chava, so too, should you clothe the naked.
Just as God visits the sick, as He did with Avraham, so too, should you visit the sick.
Just as God, consoles mourners, as He visited Yitzchak after Avraham’s death, so too, should you console mourners.
Just as God buried the dead, as he did with Moshe. So too, should you bury the dead.
Rav Simlai taught:
The Torah begins and ends with acts of loving kindness. It begins with clothing Adam and Chava and ends with burying Moshe.
Why would giving people clothing be an act of chesed? Shouldn’t it be included in the general mitzvah of giving tzedaka, helping the poor as we learn in Parshat Re’eh (Dvarim 15:8): “You shall open your hand to him.”
Sometimes there are people who have money, but don’t have access to clothing at a given time. Adam and Chava didn’t have clothing, but they weren’t poor.
During Charvot Barzel, the Swords of Iron war in Israel, we saw this on October 8. People who lived on the border of Gaza and Lebanon were evacuated and had no access to their homes or any of their things and needed clothing and basic necessities.
In Am K’Lavi- Rising Lion, the 12 day war with Iran as well, there have been homes that were destroyed by direct or indirect missiles and the inhabitants had to be moved to hotels in other cities and needed shoes and clothing.
Many of the evacuees weren’t poor, they just needed clothing. Therefore, dropping off clothing was an act of loving kindness, not charity.
Since the beginning of the war a lot of Israelis and tourists have been doing Bikur Cholim, visiting the sick, with so many injured soldiers filling the hospitals and rehab centers.
Sadly, the mitzvah of Nichum Avelim, comforting mourners, is constantly on our minds with many fallen soldiers and hostages who have been murdered. Everyone does what they can to go to the funerals and be Menachem Avel, comfort the bereaved.
Himmelfarb High School in Jerusalem lost ten alumni during the course of the war including the American Israeli hostage, Hirsh Goldberg Pollin who was murdered in captivity in Gaza and the school’s rabbi, Rav Avi Goldberg, who fell in battle while serving as an army rabbi in Lebanon. Rav Avi was in charge of the community service program at the school. On Chesed day, he would go with the students to Jerusalem’s nursing homes and play with the school band to entertain the residents.
Rav Itai Asman was the army rabbi of the seven soldiers whose Puma, troupe transporter was set on fire recently in Gaza. He made sure to go to the shiva houses of all 7 soldiers around the country. He explains that these soldiers died for the country and their loss is a loss for all of Am Yisrael.
The families of the soldiers really appreciate people coming to the shiva, even when they don’t know them.
The parents felt strengthened when people came up to them and said: “We didn’t know you or your son, but we came to be with you, since your son fought for all of us.”
By distributing clothing to evacuees, visiting the soldiers in the hospital, going to funerals and shiva houses of our brave soldiers and hostages, Israelis have been doing their best to follow God’s example during this difficult time.
May we see an end to this war and the return of all of our hostages and may we hear good news!
