You May Think You’re Small, But in G-d’s Eyes, You’re a Giant!
In parshas Vayeishev, when the sons of Yaakov wanted to kill Yosef, Reuven said
to them (37:22), “’Shed no blood! Throw him into this pit in the wilderness,
but lay no hands on him,’ – intending to later rescue Yosef from their hand
and return him to his father.” Comments the midrash, had Reuven known that
his intentions would be recorded in the Torah, he would have, right then and
there, carried Yosef on his shoulders back to his father, Yaakov. So, this raises
the question: doesn’t this make Reuven sound like an opportunist? “Oh, if I
would have known it would be publicized, then I really would have risen to the
occasion!” Is that really what’s happening here? The answer is, absolutely not.
Reuven was the farthest thing from being an opportunist. All he truly wanted was
to save Yosef, for Reuven was the bechor, and he would be held responsible
for all that would happen to Yosef. Rather, what the midrash means is that had
Reuven truly realized how heaven would look upon this deed of saving Yosef, he
would have gone about it totally differently.
And herein lies a great lesson for us. Many times, we may do an act of kindness
for someone, thinking it is no big deal. Maybe it’s a compliment we give, a smile,
or just a warm gesture, that not only makes that person’s day, but it also makes
their entire week. And the same idea is unfortunately also true in the negative.
An off-handed remark or snide comment, which we may think is no big deal,
can actually be a major deal that ruins that person’s week. The point is, don’t
underestimate the power of your words and the impact of your deeds.
Wishing you an inspiring Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein