As we continue on the topic of humility, I would like to share a story about one our Gedolim, because although the best way to learn something is by seeing it in action, we can't always see it live. So we like to use true stories, as they help gives us a better understanding and appreciation.
Rabbi Abraham Genachowsky was a Rosh Yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael, who passed away a few years ago. Although he wasn’t that well known in America, he was very active in the areas of Hessed, and very involved in helping parents and children specifically.
And, as anyone who is involved in education (or in any community work) knows, sometimes when you try to help somebody, they actually come back at you.
For example, sometimes teachers call a meeting with parents, to try and help their child, because the child is acting out or has a particular challenge. But the parents actually attack the school administration for even suggesting an issue. That's just the way it is. This rabbi, who, as I said, was very active, experienced this quite often. He would try to help people, but the very people he'd try to help would react unpleasantly.
He gave a beautiful mashal/ analogy (I’ll call it a reframe) to explain how he was able to continue this work, which shows where Emuna and Bitachon come in, to help with our humility.
He said: Imagine a king who has a beautiful garden, with special gardeners hired to work in his garden.
There is one gardener, an extremely dedicated, hard worker, who is working his best around a certain orange tree that isn’t growing properly. He gets down on the ground and his hands are muddy, as he does whatever he can to help the tree grow. Then, he gives a little push against the tree. His face is on the floor, his hands are all muddy, and an orange comes down, hits the ground and splashes him in his face! Now his face has orange juice all over it (Or imagine it’s a coconut tree, if you want to get more dramatic, and a coconut falls and hits him on the head)! This gardener, of course, continues working on the orange tree, even after orange splattered all over him. A man walks by and says,
“I don't understand. How can you continue working on that tree if the tree has no respect? The tree has no recognition! After all the hard work you put into the tree, it drops the fruit on you and gets you all dirty?!”
The gardener responds. “The tree obviously is not in control of itself. And even if it was, I'm not working for the tree, I'm working for the king. The tree is part of the king's garden. And I, as a loyal servant to the king, want to do my best to make sure his garden develops as good as possible.”
That's the mashal. The nimshal is that when we're helping people, yes, it’s because we're good people with good hearts, but it's more than that. We say, V’Ahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha/love your friend like you loveyourself, Ani Hashem/ I am God, which means the reason why we're loving our friends and taking care of our friends and helping our friends is ultimately because they're part of the King's garden. God told us to care for our friends needs and tend to them as well as we can.
So if the person who's the recipient of our kindness is not interested in receiving our kindness, that doesn't mean we're going to stop; That doesn't mean that we're going give up, because we're not doing it for them. We're doing it for the greater good. We're doing it for our Boss, our King, our God, Who told us to tend to this person's needs. And therefore, when they insult us, or when they bother us, we continue.
To me, that's the ultimate humility and it’s the ultimate humility based on the ultimate Emunah and Bitachon.
This story gives us a little glimpse into the ways a great man works, and what gives him the ability to continue in his holy work. It inspired me, and I hope it will inspire you.
Have a wonderful day.