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Think back over the years. It could be anyone in your life.
Gave birth to me.
Right now, the biggest chessed someone could do for me is give me a job;(
~a~
Hashem! Shebchol Eis, Erev Uboker Vtzaharayim… Hatov Ki Lo Chalu Rachmecha…
His many Shluchim were my parents, my wife and children. My Rabbeim, Roshei Yeshivos etc.
Doctors………….. Phenomenal organizations such as Hatzolah and Misaskim, for being there in trying times. And all others that I don’t remember off-hand.
Dave Hirsch!! HASHEM is NOT in the category of ANYONE! He the ONE AND ONLY. There is no oneness like Hashem.
Among many people, I have many BIGGEST cheseds that people have done for me!
there were two amazing families (both with more than 8 kids!!!) in the city where i was born who took me and my three siblings in for weeks/months at a time when my parents were in hospital/unable to care for us. and then there was the family that took me in, free boarding, when i was in 11th grade…and the family that took me in, free boarding and love, after i finished seminary…
As a teenager my father was critically ill, dying of leukemia actually. My mother spent weeks and months with him in the hospital seeing to his needs. My sister and I were essentially orphans with living parents. Thee was a very kind lady in our community, who often cooked for us for Shabbat. The feasts this lady made for us were fit for a king. Stuffed cabbage, brisket, kugels, soup, cake, side dishes etc. From one shabbos of her’s we ate for ten days. And it was done out of the blue completely, and simply to be nice.
During the same time in my life, an aunt, who was no especially loved in our family (for reasons I never understood), noticed I had holes in my shoes and my suit was ridiculously small. One day she showed up at our house and took me shopping. New shoes feel very good when the old ones don’t function.
I’ve never forgotten those gratuitous acts of kindness done to a kid who was lonely, scared and in need. Ki avi v’imi azavuni, vaHashem y’aa’sfeini.
My kids’ yeshivahs all gave us AMAZING tuition breaks. When my daughter wanted to go to Seminaryin E”Y after High School, the Seminary reduced her tuition, and her High School picked up the rest of it. We only had to pay for the plane fare and incidentals.
When we were going through another financial crisis (and I had lost my job of 14 years), someone in the neighborhood who heard about our situation, privately arranged to pay off a large grocery tab that we had run up around Pesach time. I never found out who did it. But I thank them from the bottom of my heartand wish them continued good health and arichas yamim.
But one of the biggest chassadim done for me, was the many, many people who drove me to and from appointments and for shopping, helped me with carpool, when I was not yet a driver and did not have a second car even when I did finally learn. I made a promise to myself, which I keep as often as I can, to likewise give rides to people in similar situations, even when it takes me “out of my way.” I am appreciative for the opportunity to give back some of what I received.
my husband- that he picked me!!!!!
(Hhhmmm…think he did that as an act of chesed?!)
Several years ago, I had a heart attack in the middle of the summer. I was on disability until the end of the summer, when I went back to work. We sent in our checks to pay for school, and a few weeks later we got a phone call that said they weren’t needed. I asked why, and was told our tuition for the year was paid by anonymous donors.
I was never able to find out who they were, although I had a good idea as to who some of them were. It’s something I will never forget.
After my baby was niftar my dear sister took in my other children and paid for my husband and me to go on holiday.
I rarely comment on this forum but as I sat procrastinating in my work I stumbled to the CR. WHat a wonderful thread!! I thank the person that started it from the bottom of my heart because I will truly have a different day today. The stories that everyone shared are amazing!! I just want to share one of my own(I have many).
We are a baal teshuva family and although we know many many wonderful people I can’t really say that before our son was born we had a community per say. Anyway, when he was born I did not think that we would have a shalom zachor because it was so hectic and …who would we invite… etc. etc. It was ok, I was just so happy at the time nothing could ruin it… Anyway, our Rav asked my husband if we were having one and he said well, not really… and besides we lived in a building on the top floor… it would be difficult logistically. And the Rav said, “What???? YOu have to have it!” And,
He got together a small army like an hour before candlelighting and everyone ran around and ………the shalom zachor was held in a shul near us. It was such an act of chessed you can’t imgine. All these people came out of the woodwork with Mazal Tovs, etc. My not frum father was there and he could not believe what he saw. It was such a Kiddush Hashem. What I can say. A Yid is the greatest treasure! Because I lived around goim most of my life I can truly appreciate it. We should always remember it (Especially in these days) and (although it is hard) try not to judge each other but focus on the fact that we are one. We can daven for people, but not judge. Whatever may be on the outside, on the inside is pure gold. I have seen evidence of this so many times in my life. Sometimes someone who seems self-centered or whatever else can turn out to be the most giving and sensitive person … you just never know. In the merit of all the acts of chessed by yidden everywhere (which are zillions upon zillions of acts of chessed) we should finally merit to see what we are all crying and davening for — the geula sheleima bimheira v’ameinu. Amen.
My grandparents gave me the gift of a college education, which I can use to help support my family, donate to tzedaka and do many other great things with. [They also gave me a great role model of what a loving, happy couple should be, since my father died at a young age]
I have cried several times since reading this thread. Be Happy, it broke my heart to read about your monumental loss,and SJS I cannot imagine what it must have been like to lose a parent when you were so young. But Cantoresq, Yiddishemishpacha, and Mamashtakah, your stories really opened the floodgates for me, because … well.. just because. It gives me tremendous chizuk to hear about people who get it RIGHT!
My advisor at college- I don’t know why he did this for me since he’s not even Jewish, but I’ll always be grateful to him for this.
I first met him when I was considering transferring to a different college. One summer day I was checking out the college I wanted to switch to and I spoke to a random professor (who happened to have his office door open) about the curriculum. After showing him my transcripts and talking in “math” he said “you know, you’re the kind of student that makes this college proud, I sure hope you make the change”.
Sure enough, I enrolled in that college and was surprised to see that he was assigned to me as my advisor (I still don’t know if he had anything to do with it or not).
Some time later, he informed he of the last high level math course which I needed in order to graduate- and he was teaching the course. The day before the final I was in an accident and couldn’t be at the final. I got married right afterwards and couldn’t make up the final in time to get a passing grade instead of an incomplete.
Since that was the last math course I needed I hadn’t spoken to him in some time when he called me out of the blue to tell me that he was teaching the course again. He also informed me that since I waited too long the incomplete changed to an F. On the positive side, he was promoted to chairman of the mathematics department, and he has the authority to change my fail to a pass (otherwise I’d still have the F on my GPA) and waive the tuition fee for the course. All I had to do was retake the final- at home and at my convenience- and fax it back to him by a certain date.
I still don’t know why he took such an interest in me and went out of his way like that.
He had a heart attack shortly afterwards and I called the department all the time to see how he was doing. I was pleased to hear one day that he was well enough to prove the quadratic equation to all those visiting him. I them called him to thank him for everything.
All he asked for in return was for me to keep up with him.
It was right before one of my siblings wedding and there were so many things to take care of-appointments, fittings…and one of my brothers-in-law came with his car and offered to be our chaueffer for the day-it was a massive chessed for us.
i havent posted here for about a year, but i felt i needed to express my thanks for this thread…i “happened” to enter the CR now, during the 9 days, and discovered this inspiring, thought-provoking and heart-warming thread.
thank you to all the contributors!
I can’t really be sure, they may have done it without me knowing!
We had an incredible story in Israel. My wife and I had just arrived as newlyweds in Israel last year. We were setting up our apartment, going shopping etc. We went to the local supermarket to load up on groceries – we had 2 full shopping carts. We get to the check out, they put everything through. 1700 shekel or so! I pull out my US card to pay, they swipe it, and……declined! So they tried again, while I was trying to call the bank from my phone and just panicking. After a minute, a guy checking out in the next lane – who I had never met before in my life – sees what’s going on comes over. Without even blinking he says “Here, just use my card. I’ll give you my bank details so you can deposit money into my account when you get organised.”
My wife and I were totally blown away. Mi K’amcho Yisroel.
Wow, where would I begin? Over the past 40+ years, I’ve been on the recieving end of so much chesed. Parents, friends, my wife, ect.
If I could narrow the scope down a bit, the biggest chesed I had done for me this year was my boss did’nt fire me in the aftermath of a huge work related mess up earlier this year. At my age, getting back in the job market would not have been fun.
And let’s not forget that amazing person who stopped you from speaking loshon hora, not dressing b’tznius, etc.
EDITED
About 7 years ago, right after I got to Israel a friend forwarded an email to me from someone who wanted to start a club. (Of which I had been involved in the USA). Well I ended up married to the person who sent the first the email, and several other very close friends came out of that email and that club.
L (who forwarded the email) had no idea that it would end up this way, she just knew I had been involved in the USA and might be interested.
Hey, Mods, my question was tongue-in-cheek; my point was that we all appreciate other people’s concern about our gashmiyus, and we prefer when they leave our ruchniyus for ourselves to care for.
Sorry, I guess I didn’t express myself clearly.
“Biggest” chesed…this chesed is not so “Big” as much as representative of a HUGE heart. There was a girl in my 12th grade class who made it her business to ensure that nobody’s birthday was forgotten. We had a large grade of over 80 students, and no matter what, she remembered yours. When you came into school on your birthday you would find a plate of home made cookies prettily wrapped with a little note from her saying what she feels you add to the grade and why she looks up to you. I can not begin to tell you what a difference it made to the grade! Many of the quieter girls, whose birthdays we all did not know, were now celebrated–and of course, when we saw cookies on someones desk,we knew it was her birthday and we all gathered around and sang and celebrated with her. Everyone felt special on their day. It created such a sense of achdus and an awareness that we should all be watching out for others in small ways just like she did. She is truly an inspiration for me!!
Wow thats amazing! What happened when it was her birthday? Did your class do anything for her?
P.S. my birthday is coming up… 🙂
I have been the undeserving recipient of far too many chasadim throughout my life from too many people to even begin figuring out which was the biggest?
Should it be my mother who put up with me when I was an impossible, incorrigible teen?
Should it be the people who took my sister and I in when my mother spent the majority of several years in-and-out of the hospital recovering from numerous physical ailments?
Should it be the fathers of my friends who, seeing that I was growing up without a frum, male role model, made sure to look out for me in when I was growing up?
Should it be the people who provided money to me when I was short on cash?
Should it be the family who continually puts up with me to this day?
Should it be the friends who, for some unfathomable reason, stand by me even when I am impossible?
Should it be the schools that basically allowed me to attend tuition free for years on end because my mother was disabled and unable to work?
In short, the task is too great and to begin figuring it out would be an insult to whoever’s chesed wasn’t chosen. I may be dumb and inconsiderate, but I’m not completely ungrateful.
The Wolf
What a doll that very sensitive girl was to make so many people happy. I hope people likewise marked HER special day in some way.
I, too, have been the recipient of many, many kindnesses, it would be hard to choose the biggest one.
While I was reading cantoresq, oomis and wolf’s postings, I was reminded of a big one that I hadn’t thought about in a long while.
My father died when I was nine years old, leaving my mother, my brother (age six) and me.
That summer, my parents’ friends got some money together to send my brother and me to summer camp. They also got my mother a job at the camp office, so we wouldn’t be far apart.
I am always very touched and grateful when I think of this particular kindness.
😀 and yes, needless to say, on her birthday she had more cakes, cookies, and letters than she knew what to do with!
Sometimes the small things make the biggest chesed impact. Through the efforts of tens of thousands of people over many years, my wife (then 13) and her family left the Soviet Union in 1973.
Since they had no close relations here, they were settled in America by the Jewish Community of their new city. Yes, they had a nice apartment, some spending money, and assistance in getting a job. But what started her mother weeping in gratitude?
The chicken in the refrigerator.
This is a great topic!!!
I was on crutches from an accident, with tens of stitches in my knee, and was floored when a woman I barely knew (a friend of a friend), who appeared to be ready to give birth at any second, showed up with dinner. I felt like I should have been bringing HER dinner!!
I had knee surgery several years later, and a non-Jewish neighbor took me around in my mini-van so I could do my Shabbos shopping. For hours, negotiating mounds of snow…
I had to have surgery several months after moving hundreds of miles to a place where we knew almost nobody. For two weeks, people I didn’t know brought us food. It was supposed to have been outpatient surgery, but there were complications, and I was laid up much longer than I had planned on. One woman brought my kids home from school every single day. And, I still had a job when I had recovered.
When I was a little girl, my mom would send me to the store next door to get “one or two things”. Without fail, the person in front of me would let me go in front of them – “is that all you have?” Now I try to do the same (but there are express lines these days, so it doesn’t happen as much).
My In-laws,
For letting me marry their daughter,
For being great neighbors and
For not being in-laws!
Dr pepper-wow if you can say that when they live close to you that’s really amazing! I hope mine i”h will be the same!
Bump!
Believe me.And protect me.
Someone who advised me not to post…
R’ Schlomo Bochner and his staff at Bonei Olam were Hashem’s delivery men to give me and my wife our children.
According to their website, there are now 4,267 children who had Bonei Olam as their delivery people. While we wish nobody had to struggle with infertility, the amazing work Bonei Olam does makes it much easier to handle!
wow! thanks for all the inspiration!
This is an AMAZING thread!
SiDi™
I don’t think this is the biggest chesed, but it’s on my mind now since it happened yesterday.
I was wandering through Kiryat Moshe looking for an early minyan with no success. I stopped someone and asked if he knew of an early minyan in the neighborhood; he said yes and walked me the three or so blocks to get there. We got to the shule, and he said “Shabbat Shalom” and walked away. I thought it was so nice that he walked 3 blocks out of his way to get me to a shule that he wasn’t davening at.
Of course, I could also say that the biggest chesed was my wife arranging for us to be in Yerushalayim for Shabbat to begin with. So nice, so relaxing, so quiet . . . and no kids!
My husband and I are married for many years without children. a few years ago a family needed a babysitter over weekends for their special needs child and allowed us to take her in. it only lasted for three years, but for those years, we were a family.
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