Many years ago, my son Meron was sick in the middle of the night. It was Shabbat and we were not sure what to do first.
I went to the doorman in my building as I wanted to see if a neighbor was home to help us, but she never answered.
Next, I walked past a young guy who I had bumped into many times. I asked him for help, explaining that my 4 year old was sick. As he held his pizza box, he apologized for not being able to help as he preferred to eat his pizza hot! I was stressed and burst into tears. In this week's Torah portion Va'etchanan, we find many commandments regarding observing different laws in the Torah. Towards the end, we are told, "And you shall do that which is right and good in the eyes of the Lord." Our Sages explain that doing "right and good" means going above and beyond the letter of the law in serving God, as well as in helping others. I thank this guy for teaching me a lesson of how *NOT* to treat people. Instead of being the person who only thinks about themselves, we should busy ourselves with the endless opportunities to help those around us. By doing this, we have to impact the world bit by bit, each with our unique potential. Shabbat shalom
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