In Parashat Veyechi, it says, “His teeth will be white from milk.”
There is calcium in milk, which seems to help teeth. So this was a blessing that Yaakov Avinu gave to the Shevatim that they would have an abundance of milk.
But the Gemarah in Mesechet Ketubot (11b) reads the pasuk a little differently, and says, “Better is the one who shows the white of his teeth to his friend, more than someone who gives him a glass of milk.”
So says the Gemarah, read this pasuk as, “The white of your teeth is better than a glass of milk.”
Rabbi Ades once explained this graphically- Imagine a man standing outside of a shul on a very hot day, giving out cold glasses of milk at a stand. But as he is in a hurry, he just hands the glasses of milk over to people quickly.
Nearby, there’s another man, who’s not giving out anything, but he smiles to each of the people as they leave the shul, and wishes them a good day. Who is doing more for the person?
This Gemara says that the one who is giving a smile is doing more. Rabbi Ades explains that we can see from here that giving somebody emotional support is greater than giving them physical support. People need positive emotional feelings, and a smile will do more for a person than a glass of milk -even on an empty stomach.
A person can survive on an empty stomach, but if he has an empty spirit, that is even harder to deal with. So when we give someone the white of our teeth, it is greater than a glass of milk.
The Chafetz Chaim reads it a little differently. He says, “Greater is the man that makes his friend’s teeth white…”
The one who makes his friend. smile is greater than the one who gives him a glass of milk.
However you read the pasuk, whether it’s you smiling at your friend, or making him smile, the lesson is the same:
Emotional support is greater than physical support.
Have a wonderful day.