Not To Make A Mistake About The Task by Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva

4th of Tishrei, 5787

There was once a certain poor man, destitute. He looked for a livelihood, whatever he did, for several years he lived in poverty and great distress. He heard that there was a certain rich man, a great millionaire, who does acts of loving-kindness. Every poor person who came to him, he would grant them generously. He said, if so, he says: "For me, it is very difficult. Now the holidays are approaching, there is nothing to eat." He approached him, but out of shame he did not say to him "I want a gift." He said to him: "Listen, you, thank G-d" – this is what the Chafetz Chaim says – "G-d favored you with money. I, what I want to ask of you, if possible, I will work for you, give me some job, and from this a small salary so that I can live, that is all! I don't want more! Do an act of loving-kindness with me." He said to him: "Fine, I have agreed to your request, you will receive." "Good, to receive? Thank you!" "What will I give you? I don't have a special job, but listen: You will enter, do you see my office? I want every morning, I arrive at eight, you at seven, clean it, so that everything is polished, the bag, the table, the places, everything will be polished very nicely. That's one. Two: Every morning go to the restaurant, dairy, bring to all the workers here in the palace who are working, bring them food, breakfast. At noon bring them lunch. Clean here, do this, do that." He gave him about 13 tasks every day. He says to him: "So that everything will be easy for you, we will write it down for you." He wrote down for him: 1, 2, 3, 4, what he has to do. He says: "Read them very well, and know what you need to do." He said to him: "Fine." The next day this rich man came, he sees the office is dirty, the person did not clean. When a few hours passed, the people who work for him came to him, they said to him: "Sir, today there is some problem, shall we go bring food ourselves? They didn't bring breakfast." He says: "Wow." And today, two days, it goes the same way. He called him. He says to him: "My dear friend, you are not doing what I told you, do you not want to work?" He says: "Sir! I am doing in the fullest sense of the word!" "What are you doing? I see the office is dirty!" He says: "What? You gave me a page, I read it every morning several times!" "How will it help that you read them? Not that you should read! I gave it to you so that you would do! Not that you should read!"

Says the Chafetz Chaim: The Holy One, Blessed be He, did not give the verse "Almighty G-d, merciful and gracious, slow to anger" just for you to read. Rather for you to do! So that you too will be gracious, you too will be merciful, you too will be slow to anger, you too will be abundant in loving-kindness! You need to do, not read! Why read? Do!

This is the truth.