Kindness is Not Enough

by Michalee Merritt

Chayei Sarah was this Shabbat’s parsha. This is one of my favorites because both of my sons read this for their Bar Mitzvahs. 

In this week’s Torah portion, Avraham sends his loyal servant, Eliezer, to find a suitable bride for his son, Yitzchak. As Eliezer approaches the town, he prays to God that he should succeed in finding the right girl with the following sign:

He will ask a girl to give him a drink of water. Should she give him to drink, and also offer to pour water for his camels, that would serve as a sign that she is the right one (24:14). Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. On that day, Rivka came to the well to draw water. Eliezer requested a drink from her, and after she gave him to drink, on her own initiative, she fetched water for the camels as well. Rivka’s actions teach us the importance of seeking out opportunities to show kindness to others, even without being asked.

The act of offering water to a stranger alone would have been an action of performing kindness in its own right. Anyone can act with kindness. Eliezer was looking for someone who sought out opportunities to do acts of kindness to others even without being asked.

Rivka’s behavior is an example for us. Helping others who turn to us for help is great, but it’s not enough. For many of us, this does not come easily. We suffer from laziness, and we often find ourselves to be self-centered to some degree. All in all, we are closer to it than we think. Everyone loves the concept of being kind. When we hear a story of someone who acted selflessly to help others, we feel inspired and delighted. Deep down, we all love kindness.

Deep down, we all love kindness.

I am reminded of the time my son ran away from me at the checkout line at CVS. I had no idea that he was following a man out of the store who had dropped his wallet. That was kindness, and when the man offered a reward, my son said no. He had done this because he was supposed to. 

Right now so many people in our communities need kindness! It is not just donating to the food pantries right now because the need is higher; it is to continue to do this all year long. It is to go another step further and call the pantries, shelters, and schools to ask what else I can do to help! Be kind, sometimes all someone needs is to be asked “What can I do for you?”

Let’s spread kindness and support those around us.