No Good Deed Ever Goes to Waste

Mazel Tov to Jennifer, Kevin, Tyler and Bradley Leopold on the birth of Spencer Hayden.

Sponsored by Sharona, Josh, Dov, Moshe and Yehuda Halickman

 
Once Pharaoh realized that B’nai Yisrael would not be returning, he decided to chase them and attempt to bring them back. In Shmot 14:6, we see how anxious Pharaoh was: “He (Pharaoh) harnessed his chariot and he took his people with him”.

Rashi comments that Pharaoh actually harnessed his own chariot instead of relying on a servant. The Mechilta elaborates: “He did it with his own hand. Kings usually stand by while others prepare their chariot and harness it. Pharaoh the wicked prepared and harnessed his own chariot. As soon as his courtiers saw what he was doing they followed suit.”

Similar wording is used in Breisheet 46:29 to describe how Yoseph prepared to meet Yaakov when he arrived in Egypt, “Yoseph harnessed his chariot and went to meet Yisrael his father in Goshen”. Rashi again brings the Mechilta which teaches that “Yoseph prepared his chariot himself out of eagerness to pay his respects to his father.”

Mechilta adds: “Let the making ready of Yoseph to go and meet his father cancel out the making ready of Pharaoh the wicked, who went to pursue Israel”.

Because Yoseph rushed to honor his father, many generations later Pharaoh who rushed to destroy the Jewish people was stopped in his tracks.

Nechama Leibowitz points out that no good deed ever goes to waste. The power of love is destined to overcome the power of hate.

Each good deed that we can do will have an impact later on.

One day a righteous man named Choni saw an elderly man planting a carob tree. Choni said to him: “Foolish man, do you think that you will live to eat and enjoy the fruit of the tree that you plant today? It will not bear fruit for many, many years.” The man replied: “I found trees in the world when I was born. My grandparents planted them for me. Now I am planting for my grandchildren.” Honi sat down in the shade of a nearby tree for a short nap. The short nap ended up lasting 70 years! When he awoke, he was surprised to see a full-grown carob tree where the elderly man had planted a seed just before Choni fell asleep. An elderly man was picking its fruit. “Are you the man who planted this tree?” asked Choni. The man replied “No, my grandfather planted it for me.” So Choni learned the importance of planting seeds for future generations. Our Torah is called Etz Chayim, the tree of life. Jews in every community plant seeds for future generations by observing the mitzvoth and passing on traditions.

Even in the toughest of times we must continue to perform acts of kindness and sow the seeds for future generations.