As we get ready for Rosh Hashana, which we have been doing for the past few weeks, I would like to share a beautiful thought, based on a segula from the Ben Ish Chai. The Ben Ish Chai says that there are different pesukim that one should say when entering his home, after returning from shul on Rosh Hashana, and they can be found in many Machzorim.
The first of these five pesukim is:
ונח מצא חן בעיני ה׳
And Noah found grace in the eyes of G-d.
We say that 12 times, one for every upcoming month (some say it 13 times when there is a leap year).
Incidentally, we say this pasuk every motzei Shabbat in Havdalah, so this isn’t just a once-yearly lesson.
What is the significance of saying that Noah found favor in the eyes of Hashem? What is the lesson here?
The commentaries tell us that Noah did not really deserve to be saved.
The Mishnah compares Noah to Avraham, and whereas it says that Avraham Avinu turned around his generation, it says that Noah survived himself, and didn’t turn the people around. So Noah survived only because of חן/Chen/grace
As we say in Eshet Chayil, Sheker HaChen/Chen is false
A smile can be nice, but it does not mean anything. A person can have grace and charm, but what does it mean to be charming? It does not really mean anything. It is Chen.
So, as we go into the new year, we say, “Hashem we might not be deserving, but we want to find Chen in your eyes.”
The question is, how do we do that? How do we find Chen?
There are many ways and secrets. One of them shows up in Misheh: ולענוים יתן חן -G-d gives Chen to those that are humble.
If you are humble, you find favor in Gods eyes. Noah was humble. How do we know that? Because he took care of the animals for twelve months. That humbled him. He was also humbled from the insults that he endured while building the Tevah for 120 years. Humility brings Chen. When you realize that you are not in charge, you humble yourself to G-d, and that brings Chen.
One of the ten Pesukim that we mention in our Rosh Hashanah Musaf, in the part about G-d remembering, is that G-d remembered Noah when he took care of the animals. Some commentaries say that this is because Noah humbled himself.
And the shofar of Rosh Hashana is bent, because we want to humble ourselves. So humbling oneself is a great secret for acquiring Chen.
I came across another a few days ago, while learning in my Pirkei Avot class (on Itorah.com at 5:30 pm daily).
In the fifth perek, Mishnah ג , the Chasid Yavetz brings a pasuk from Tehillim 119, where David HaMelech says
דרך פקודיך הבינני -
The path of Your mitzvot, let me understand,
ואשיחה בנפלאותיך,
And I will talk about your miracles.
The Chassid Yavetz says that one who involves himself in understanding the mitzvot, is, in his words, יפיק רצון מה' ,Incurs the Will of Hashem. In other words, G-d likes that.
But, he adds:
והמדבר בנפלאות הבורא מוצא חן בעיניו
One who speaks about the miracles of Hashem finds Chen in His eyes.
That is important. We have just found another secret:
If you want to find chen in the eyes of Hashem, talk about His miracles.
He is referring to the miracles of Yetziat Mitzrayim, and says that Hashem likes that, even if you don’t mention any hiddush/novel idea, and simply retell the story and discuss the miracles.
(Of course, an added Hiddush is beautiful.)
This concept of discussing miracles is a pasuk in tehillim that we say every day in Hodu: ( perek 105, pasuk 2)
שירו לו זמרו לו שיחו בכל נפלאותיו
I am going to sing songs to Him, sing Zemirot to Him, I will speak about His miracles.
The term David HaMelech uses for speak, שיחו is used to connote light talk. It’s like someone chatting at a meeting of the family, as opposed to someone sitting with a Gemarah.. It’s called “light-talk,” a term we use in our Arbit prayers,נשיח בחוקיך which means that even our light-talk should be focused on Divrei Torah.
David HaMelech in this instance, is saying our light talk should be about G-d’s wonders.
This isn’t limited to Yetziat Mitzrayim. This is any opportunity:
The Brisker Rav, in his perush in Chumash Shemot, 18/8, says that Moshe Rabbenu told Yitro everything that Hashem did to Paroah, and asks why he had to repeat the whole saga. And the answer he gives is is that it is because there is a special responsibility to share miracles of G-d. He quotes the aforementioned pasuk,
שיחו בכל נפלאותיו
I will speak about His miracles.
Prior to this, Moshe had no opportunity to fulfill this. Everyone he encountered already knew the story. But here was Yitro, a new person on the scene, and so Moshe told him.
The Brisker Rav also says that this responsibility is not just referring to Yetziat Mitzrayim. Any time something happens to you, share it.
The Chatam Sofer says that as we get older, and more mature, we should look back at life and reflect on all the miraculous things that happened to us. As we have said before, look back and connect the dots.
Let us do this at the end of the year. Ki Tavo is about Bikkurim, and Hakarat HaTov/ gratitude. Let’s sit at the table this last Shabbat of the year and tell stories of the wonders we experienced this year, of this decade!
We all have stories!!
When we tell over the stories of our miracles, we find Chen in the eyes of Hashem.
So our lesson for today is that we can find Chen, like Noah,
-by being humble, and by telling over stories of G-d (this does not mean the great things you did, about how you pulled your money out of the market in time) which are humble stories, which bring us Chen.
ונח מצא חן בעיני ה׳
And Noah found grace in the eyes of G-d.
Have a wonderful day !