In this week’s Parsha (25:35), the pasuk says V’chi yamuch achicha – if your brother becomes impoverished – Umata yodo imach – and he is in close proximity to you– vehczaktah – you should give him strength. Literally, the pasuk means that if a person gets impoverished, poverty-stricken, or indigent you should give him a lift – you should take care of him. However, I would like to share with you another interpretation: I heard from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita that the Avnei Nezer asks a question: In the midbar, in the desert, no one was impoverished. The Jews had everything they needed. They also had the Manna and wells. So, what’s vehczaktah? Who and how should you give strength to someone and why?
The Avnei Nezer says something incredible: Your Mitzvah is not to just help someone financially. Your Mitzvah is not just to help a person who is deprived monetarily. Your Mitzvah is to help someone when he doesn’t feel good about himself. Your Mitzvah is to be there for someone when he doesn’t feel connected to something higher. That’s when vehczaktah – you have a mitzvah of giving him Chizuk – of connecting him. It’s such a big Mitzvah and chesed to be mekerav somebody – to bring someone close. If there is a person who feels dejected or doesn’t feel close to Hashem – you have a special mitzvah to give them a Chiyus, to let them feel alive.
One year, a few days before Pesach a man came to the Beis Halevi with an unusual question. He wanted to know if he could fulfill the mitzvah of the arbah kosos (the four cups) at the Pesach seder with milk instead of wine. The Beis Halevi was surprised and asked the man if he wanted to do this for health reasons. The man shook his head and said that he and his family were in good health. He revealed that he wanted to use milk for the arbah kosos because he simply couldn’t afford wine. The Beis Halevi told him that he shouldn’t use milk and instead, he gave the poor man a large sum of money.
The Beis Halevi’s wife had been standing nearby and witnessed this exchange. She asked her husband why he had given the man such a large sum of money if after all wine isn’t that expensive. The Beis Halevi looked at his wife and said, “The Pesach meals are flieshig, containing meat or chicken. This means that the man could’ve only considered using milk for the arbah kosos if he could not afford to buy meat. Therefore, it was not enough for the Beis Halevi to give the man money for wine. The man needed money to buy meat for his entire family Yom Tov! The Beis Halevi made sure not to ‘just help’ the person and give him wine – he realized he must need meat too! What greatness! Let’s all strive to look to help others and give each other chizuk!
