The Domino Effect

Based on Ahavas Chesed vol. 2 chapter 6

Now the Chofetz Chaim discusses more about the tremendous reward for those who perform any kind of chesed. If one performs any act of chesed, God credits him with all the good that occurs as a result. Let’s examine.

Consider one who gives tzedakah and assistance to a needy person who has become ill. As a result of his kindness, the sick person recovers. God doesn’t just credit the benefactor with the few dollars he gave. Rather, the donor is credited with restoring this person to life. Rabbi Tanchuma (p. Mishpatim) learned this from Proverbs 19:17: “One who is gracious to the poor lends to God, and He will repay him his reward.” When we help the needy, we are metaphorically “lending” to God, and He will pay us back. Rabbi Pinchas HaKohein asked what “repay him his reward” means. If someone gives a beggar a dollar, does that mean that God pays him back a dollar? That’s certainly not worth writing home about, let alone putting in a Bible verse! Rather, Hashem says that just as one’s financial support enabled this person to live, He will repay with a life. For example, the merit of this act might spare the life of the donor’s child in a circumstance when it might otherwise have been lost.

The idea that God will repay a person his reward also includes the following: someday the donor might need chesed. When that happens, Hashem will repay the favor based on this person’s deeds. If a person is merciful and compassionate, then he will enjoy the goodwill of others. One whose trait is the opposite, however, can expect the opposite.

Let’s get back to the idea that God credits a person with all the good that occurs as a result of his chesed. Imagine a wealthy person who suffered a financial reversal. Someone lends him money, which he uses to get back on his feet. Now the wealthy man can again feed his family and pay his employees. The one who lent him money is credited not only with the loan, but also with all the benefit that occurred as a result of the loan.

This idea can be seen in Baba Kama (119a). Rabbi Yochanan said that stealing a small coin is like taking someone’s life. This is based on Proverbs 1:19: “This is the manner of every greedy (robber) – he takes the life of (the property’s) owners.” The thief’s actions don’t only affect the victim; they trickle down to the victim’s family. And you can’t say that one isn’t responsible for the “domino effect” of his actions. We see in II Samuel (21:1) that Shaul was held responsible for killing all the Givonim (Gibeonites). But Shaul didn’t kill the Gibeonites! Well… not directly. But he did wipe out Nov, the city of kohanim, and the kohanim of Nov employed the Givonim. By killing the kohanim of Nov, Shaul also cost the Givonim their livelihoods.

We see from this that Hashem’s attribute of strict justice is very exacting, holding a person responsible even for indirect harm that he causes. Luckily, however, God’s attribute of mercy far outweighs His attribute of strict justice. This is evident from Exodus 20:6, which tells us that God repays goodness for a thousand generations, as opposed to the three or four generations for which He will punish (as per verse 20:5).

Accordingly, if one person benefits another, even indirectly by way of the domino effect, the one who started the chain reaction will be rewarded for every good that results from his actions. If people realized this, they would be tripping over one another in their rush to do chesed!

The Chofetz Chaim finds it surprising that people have the nerve to daven “Sim Shalom,” in which we ask God to give us peace, goodness, blessing, etc. if they don’t want to give these things to their fellow man. It’s very difficult for one who doesn’t perform chesed to expect such prayers for goodness to be answered! This is especially true of the prayer for livelihood, since we acknowledge that God “sustains life in His kindness.” It’s kind of hypocritical to expect from God something that one wouldn’t extend to others!

A person who performs chesed can be much more confident that his prayers will be answered. Midrash Shocher Tov says that a baal chesed will find his prayers answered. It cites Hoshea 10:12: “Plant tzedakah for yourselves and you will harvest according to chesed,” after which it says, “a time to seek Hashem.” This means that as a result of chesed, it’s an auspicious time to seek Hashem since his prayers will be heard.

All of this is true of chesed extended to a regular person, but it’s magnified when to comes to doing chesed for a Torah scholar. Any assistance extended to a Torah scholar is exceedingly great since it enables him to study Torah, which is then added to the donor’s credit. This is even enough merit to seat him among the Sages in the afterlife. The Talmud in Pesachim (53b) derives this from Koheles 7:12: “in the shade of wisdom, in the shade of money.” One who is not himself a scholar but who supports scholars can sit among them in the afterlife by using his money to support their endeavors. This isn’t true only of money, but of any kind of assistance one offers.

Finally, the Gemara in Kesubos (111b) cites Deuteronomy 4:4: “You who cling to Hashem your God are all alive today.” The Gemara asks how one can cling to God, given that Deuteronomy 4:20 describes Him as a devouring fire. It answers that we metaphorically cling to God by offering assistance to Torah scholars. A person who does this is considered bonded with God’s Presence, with all the good things that entails.

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