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From
<a href="http://revach.net/article.php?id=5155" eudora="autourl">
http://revach.net/article.php?id=5155<br><br>
</a><font size=3>Avrohom Avinu was the greatest Ba'al Chesed to ever
live. His life was a continuous song of Chesed to others. Yet in the
Torah we find one event singled out as the epitome of his Chesed, that of
serving the three guests on the third day after his Mila. The Baalei
Mussar all try to find the single factor in this event that made it so
monumental that it was recorded so famously above all the others.
<br><br>
Rav Gedalia Eisman (see U'Lisitcha Elyon) the Mashgiach of Kol Torah says
that after the old and weak Avrohom came to greet the "guests"
and made his generous offer, they brazenly answered (Vayeira 18:5)
"Kein Taaseh Ka'asher Dibarta". They didn't graciously accept
the offer, but rather commanded Avrohom to do exactly as he promised.
<br><br>
Everyone gets a geshmack out of helping others from the goodness of his
own heart. But if instead of appreciation and recognition for his good
deed, the recipient turns around and demands to be served, the bubble is
burst and all excitement over performing the chesed dissipates and even
turns sour. Pangs of anger well up inside of us as a natural response to
the insolence of the person we wanted to help. <br><br>
Not so Avrohom Avinu whose response to this arrogant answer was
"Vayimaher Avrohom HaOhela El Sarah". Avrohom did not care
about the attitude of the recipient, only about helping him with his
needs. It made no difference if the recipient was gracious or obnoxious.
On the contrary if the recipient demanded of Avrohom, that was a clear
sign to him that the recipient was in dire need and should be helped
faster and harder. <br><br>
Avrohom, the symbol of Chesed's response to the Malachim's demand, was to
run to fulfill this demand. That is the path Avrohom set forth for us,
and that is the ideal we should each strive for when it comes to Chesed.
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