This past Shabbat we studied the weekly portion called Hayyei Sarah, meaning “the Life of Sarah,” which begins, notably, with the passing of that foremost matriarch. After her death we encounter a series of episodes in the lives of our ancestors, including Abraham, now a widower, concerned that his and Sarah’s only son, Isaac, is unmarried and childless. To remedy this, he sends his most trusted servant back to Abraham’s country of origin to find a wife for his beloved son from among his own kinsfolk.
Upon reaching his destination, the servant, in the first such instance in the Torah, prays to God for help and guidance. “Show loving-kindness to my lord Abraham,” he pleads (Genesis 24:13). Help me find the one for Your servant Isaac.
The ancient rabbis recognize something important about this prayer: “Everyone is in need of loving-kindness,” Rabbi Haggai says in the name of Rabbi Isaac. Ha’kol tzrichin l’hesed. Even Abraham, that zen master of ancient tradition was not above a yearning for kind treatment, or being dealt with graciously. Even someone who spends his entirely life trying to reach the pinnacle of spiritual achievement, ultimate service to the divine, is in need of being treated with kindness.
That doesn’t mean it is easy. Rabbi Elazar cites Psalm 36:8 in observing mah yakar hasdechah, Elohim: “How precious is your kindness, O God.” How precious, how fragile, how delicate is kindness, is the implication: while kindness can, and should, come naturally to us, we must take great care to ensure we are dealing kindly with our fellow human beings—even those we assume may not need it.
To put a fine point on the fundamental importance of kindness, the rabbis cite the moment when Rabbi Yehosua sees that the Holy Temple is no more. “Woe to us,” he says. “The place where all of Israel’s sins are forgiven is destroyed!” His mentor Rabbi Yohanan is with him and says, “My son, do not be distressed, for we have a form of atonement just like it.” “What is it?” Rabbi Yehosua responds. “Acts of kindness,” Rabbi Yohanan replies, “as it says [in Psalm 83,] “For I, God, desire not fire offerings, but kindness.”
