My Virtual Reading Room

Ours is a generation that has been challenged again and again.  We have had so many wake-up calls--some subtle, some more obvious, but perhaps none has impacted us like 9/11.  For a very brief moment, it appeared as though we were actually listening, and realized that our lives were not only about business and the pursuit of pleasure, but about timeless values, mature love, and sacrifice.  On that day of infamy, we rose above the flames of the Twin Towers and united in fellowship and kindness.  In Torah language, we call this chesed. G-d built the world on pillars of chesed (Psalm 89), for that is the energy that justifies the continued existence of mankind.

Chesed is more than making a charitable contribution.  Chesed means giving of ourselves and placing the needs of others before our own.  Chesed means smiling at someone even if our own hearts are breaking. Chesed means imparting words of encouragement even when we are consumed by our own fears.  Chesed means a desire to give, not necessarily because someone is in distress or deserving, but because our hearts overflow with love and we feel a need to give.

On September 11, we felt that need.  We examined our lives; we evaluated our priorities; we became kinder and gentler--we did chesed.  Our newfound kindness was evidenced even in the way we said hello.  Instead of the usual cursory nod, we actually greeted one another from the heart.  Everywhere there was a willingness to help, from the heroic firemen, to the police, the mayor, the president, and the man on the street.  People were actually listening with their hearts to the voices of family members, friends, neighbors, and even strangers, but all too soon, as the intensity of our pain subsided, we reverted to our old ways, and it was business as usual.

(From Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis' "Life Is A Test")