We continue with beautiful stories from Rav Pam’s biography.
On page 274, it mentions one of his discourses, in which Rav Pam quotes the Avot D’Rebi Natan that says when a person displays the whiteness of his teeth to his friend it is better than if he gives him milk to drink, “ As the pasuk says, ולבן שנים מחלב
The simple meaning of this is that his teeth are white from milk, But the deeper meaning is that when you show a man the white of your teeth, which is your smile, that is better than serving him milk.
The Avot D’Rebi Natan says this means that even if a person can’t give his friend anything tangible, if he greets him pleasantly, it’s as if he has given him all the gifts in the world.
Rav Pam expounds, saying that the ability to do Hessed is not limited to people with time and money. A person can do Hessed with a smile or friendly word. With a little time and effort, one can pull a sad person out of his troubled mood. And the opposite is also true: walking around with an unhappy face can cause others pain.
Like Rav Yisrael Salanter said, “Your heart is Reshut HaYachid/ private property, but your face is Reshut Harabim/ public property.
What your face emanates impact the people around you.
You are allowed to dig a pit in your own house, if you’d like, because it is your own private property, but you can’t dig a pit in a public property. Rav Yisrael Salanter explains that, so too, your face is public property. He quotes from Sefer Yereim, a Rishon (chapter 21), which says, “Just as it is forbidden to inflict pain with sharp, critical words, it is forbidden to hurt others with a sour expression.”
Your face says a lot, and what emanates from your face has a great effect on people.
We have to greet everyone B’Sever Panim Yafot / with a smile.
Rav Wolbe said that his father- in-law, Rav Avraham Grodzensky spent months working on this concept of greeting people with a smile.
Look in the mirror and smile until you see a smile that you want to greet other people with. A smile doesn’t cost any money, and it doesn’t take any time, but with it, you are accomplishing great things.
You are doing Hessed with your smile! What a wonderful concept.
Have a wonderful day.