Our Patriarch Avraham was the foundation of loving-kindness and he did whatever he could to help other people. He taught his future generations to follow in his way and always help everyone in need. To this very day, those Jews who observe the Torah and obey its commandments excel in loving-kindness to others.

In his book Borechi Nafshi, Rabbi Zilberstein shlita relates an interesting story that occurred not so long ago in the ultra-orthodox town of Bnei Brak. A fire totally destroyed the home of a young Torah scholar R.l. Immediately, all of the neighbors got together to assist the family in every way possible.

As is customary in such a situation, several policemen arrived to check out the details of the fire and write a report. In Israel, unfortunately, policemen don't have much time for "petty" things like this so usually they come and go very quickly. In this particular case, one policeman seemed to be spending more than the usual amount of time on the scene. People noticed this and kept an eye on him to see what it was he wanted.

After a while, the policeman began to cry. When asked what was bothering him, he cried even more. Only after he calmed down, after a while, was he able to pour out his heart to those assembled.

"I live in the elite neighborhood of Ramat Aviv in Tel Aviv," he began. Exactly a year ago, my own house was destroyed in a fire too. All of the neighbors came to watch but not one of them offered any help. My wife, my children and I had no place to sleep that night and no one offered assistance. Today, I see in this religious neighborhood, how everyone is standing in line to help. I feel very jealous to see such a close knit community in which each one cares for the other."

Shema Yisrael Torah Network
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