Community Magazine March 2003

54 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc forty years that they traveled through the desert, Yehudah’s bones were “megoolgal- im” in the coffin. The casket bearers were able to hear the rattling sounds of unrest and unsettlement eerily clattering around. Before Moshe Rabenu died, he prayed that Yehudah should be able to gain entry into Olam Haba. Moshe’s argument before Hashem began with the apparently unrelat- ed question “What caused Reuben to con- fess his sin?” The act of moving his father’s bed was much more significant than the rearrangement of furniture. Hashem’s Shechina (presence) rested on that bed; moving it was equivalent to uprooting a structure like the Beit Hamikdash and rebuilding it elsewhere. Despite the great ramifications of this sin Reuben did not con- fess that he was the perpetrator. However, when he sawYehudah bravely confess in the case of Tamar, he thought to himself, “If my younger brother has the courage to do it then, so can I.” Yehudah was the catalyst behind Reuben’s teshubah (repentence). After Moshe made this case, the Gemarah tells us that Yehudah was invited into Olam Haba, but he didn’t yet gain entry into the spiritual Yeshivah. Moshe continued to pray on his behalf, and Yehudah entered the Yeshivah, but he sat in the back row. He prayed more, and Yehudah was able to learn with the leading Rabbis, but they ridiculed his opinions. Moshe prayed still more and Yehudah became the leading posek (author- ity). All rulings became dependant on Yehudah’s opinion. Yehudah entered Gan Eden, not solely for his own accomplishments, but because his actions caused others to gain merit. This is the concept of “Mezaceh Harabim”; and this power to affect other people is the key that unlocks the doors in heaven. The Midrash tells us that the prophet Shemuel was equal in greatness to Moshe and Aharon. On what merit did his father Elkanah, deserve such a great son? Every year, Elkanah would go to up the Beit Hamikdash on each of the the Shalosh Regalim (three festivals), of Passover, Shavuot, and Succot. On the way, he would see Jews that weren’t planning to go to Jerusalem. He would entice them to come with him by offering to pay for every- thing—so that they couldn’t refuse. Those people that came with him loved the experi- ence and became committed to going to Jerusalem on all subsequent Shalosh Regalim. Before each holiday, Elkanah would urge more and more people, who in turn would urge more people, to come to Jerusalem. Hashem said, “Because you took care of my children, I will give you the ulti- mate in children.” The merits of King Shaul’s grandfather was also the key to the birth of Israel’s first monarch into that family. His name was Ner, inferring “candle” or “wick.” Every night, Ner would light candles on the road, in order that the people wouldn’t lose their way in the dark when going to the yeshivah to learn. Why does Hashem love these kind of people so much? In Hovat Halevavot, Rabbeinu Bachyei writes, “My brother, you have to know, even if you have a person that will reach the epitome of spiritual perfection— even if he is close to a prophet (a prophet is said to have no Yetzer Hara, almost like an angel), as great as his merit is, it pales to the merit of someone who is a Mezaceh Harabim, who causes other to be closer to their Father in Heaven.” When someone is the cause of another person’s good deeds, he also gains credit. His merits become com- pounded as the person’s children and grand- children also become influenced as a result. The amount of good that can result from a single good deed is unlimited; the benefits of one act can multiply manifold like the profits for the originator of a pyramid scheme. How can regular people, who aren’t Rabbis and teachers, gain merit in this way and start their own pyramid scheme? There is a major Rosh Yeshivah in Israel that has thousands of students, has written many books, teaches many classes, and has been blessed with righteous children. He didn’t begin his life on this path. When he was young, he used to chase after all the pleasures of the world. When he heard there was a new teavah (physical desire), in Haifa, he traveled there to experience it. When he reached the establishment, just as he was about to enter, he saw a religious man walk by. When the religious man saw where he was, he quickly covered his eyes and ran away. The young firebrand, at the time, couldn’t understand why a man would cover his eyes and run from the greatest of pleasures. “It must be,” he thought, “that he is involved in an even greater pleasure.” He began to investigate his Jewish roots and soon afterwards, became a Baal Teshuvah. The G-d fearing man that covered his eyes was just a regu- lar guy doing what he knew was right. When he gets to Olam Haba, however and his mitzvot and his sins will be accounted for, he’ll recognize the sins that he did, but he won’t recognize all the mitzvot. To his credit will be all the Torah that the Rosh Yeshivah learned and taught, everything his students learned, all the books that he wrote, and all the good deeds that resulted unintentionally from his single seemingly small act of covering his eyes. It’s impos- sible to calculate the influence and far- reaching effects that a small deed can have on another person. If one lady decides to wear skirts, she might not know that there When someone is the cause of another person’s good deeds, he also gains credit. His merits become compounded as the person’s children and grandchildren also become influenced as a result. The amount of good that can result from a single good deed is unlimited.