08 Mar PARSHAS KI SISA: THE GENEROUS OF SPIRIT HE WILL BE BLESSED

The verse [pasuk] in
Mishlei [Proverbs]
says, “A person with
generosity of spirit
(Tov Ayin) he will
blessed” [Mishlei
22:9]. The Yalkut identifies the subject of
the pasuk as Moshe Rabbeinu. As support
for the idea that Moshe was a “Tov Ayin,”
the Yalkut notes that the Torah was
originally destined to be given only to
Moshe and his descendants after him (as it
is written “Write for yourself;” “Carve out
for yourself” [Shemos 34:1,27]). However,
Moshe treated it with a generosity of spirit
(nahag bah ayin tovah) and gave the Torah
to all of Israel (as it is written, “Moshe
commanded us the Torah, an inheritance
for the Congregation of Jacob” [Devorim
33:4]).
The Yalkut cites a second support for the
idea that Moshe was the person alluded to
by the term “tov ayin” in the pasuk from
Mishlei. When Moshe granted “Semicha”
to his disciple Yehoshua, the pasuk says
“He placed (both) his hands upon him”

[Bamidbar 27:23] even though G-d only
told Moshe to place his (single) hand upon
Yehoshua [Bamidbar 27:18]. The Yalkut
compares this to a generous emissary of a
King who the king told to reward a certain
subject by giving him one measure of
wheat and he instead gave him a double
portion of wheat.
Rav Berel Pavarski wonders how these
actions indicate generosity of spirit on
Moshe’s part. If someone asks me to give
$100 to a charity and I give $200 instead, it
represents generosity of spirit. Now I am
$200 poorer than I was before I wrote the
check. But Moshe Rabbeinu receiving the
Torah and also giving it to Klal Yisrael does
not leave him any “poorer”. Moshe still has
the Torah. The fact that he gave it to the
Jewish people as well does not diminish
what Moshe has. How is that “Tov Ayin”?
Likewise, what is the difference if Moshe
gave Semicha to Yehoshua with one hand
or two hands? Giving with both hands
certainly does not take anything more away
from Moshe than had he given it with one
hand (nor does it give anything extra to

Yehoshua). How does that
demonstrate that Moshe is “Tov
Ayin”? This is reminiscent of the old
parable of the candle – lighting an
additional candle does not take any
light away from the first candle.
Rav Pavarski says that we see from
here a reality of life: I may be a
generous person and I may want my
friend to have good things as well, but
I do not want my friend to have it AS
good as I have it. If a person is blessed
with wonderful children, he no doubt hopes
for his next-door neighbor to also have
wonderful children. However, deep down
he is hoping that they just should not be as
good as his children. This is human nature.
When a bochur becomes engaged, he
thinks his Kallah is wonderful. He is sure
that she is the greatest girl in the world. He
hopes his roommate will soon also become
engaged and find a great kallah – just not as
good as his own. This is human nature.
“Tov Ayin” represents that uncommon
quality of being able to want his friend and
neighbor to have children and brides
that are just as good as his own
children and just as great as his own
bride. He hopes for total parity for his
friends and neighbors with himself.
When Moshe Rabbeinu gave the
Torah to Klal Yisrael rather than
keeping it for himself, it represented
‘Tov Ayin’ because he had a
monopoly on the most precious
commodity in the world. He was
willing to share, not just a little of it,
not just most of it – but all of it,
totally relinquishing his “bragging
rights” over any special unique claim
he had to Torah.
Likewise, Moshe gave his disciple
Semicha with “both hands”,
representing a hope that Yehoshua
would become a totally equivalent
leader to himself, just as great, just as
historic a figure.
This is Tov Ayin. It is not simple to
achieve because it runs against
human nature. Rav Matisyahu
Solomon comments on the silent
recitation of the Kohanim after
blessing the people with the Priestly
Benediction. They say, “Master of
the World, we have done that which
you decreed upon us (asher gazarta
aleinu).” The term “gazarta” sounds
harsh – as if the requirement to bless
the Jewish people was a harsh decree,

forced upon the Kohanim – an edict! Why
should that be the case? If anything, the
Priestly Blessing is a perk. They get to have
their hands washed, they get to stand on a
platform above the entire congregation,
they get to sing and show off their voices
— it is a good deal for them. In what sense
is it a “gezeirah”?
Rav Matisyahu notes the flowery language
of the blessing – invoking Divine
Providence and prosperity for the Jewish
people. They bestow all kinds of superlative
blessings on the Jewish people. This is hard
to do. To wish a peer that he should have
“just as good as me” is not so simple.
Rav Matisyahu also quotes an inference of
Rabbeinu Yona on the Mishne in Pirkei
Avos [5:19] which lists the 3 attributes
identifying a person as a “disciple of our
Patriarch Avraham”. The first of those
attributes is “Ayin Tova.” (The other two
are “ruach nemucha” and “nefesh
shefeilah.”) Rabbeinu Yona identifies
“Ayin Tova” with a spirit of generosity and
cites the pasuk “and he took a young cow,
tender and good” (to give to his Angelic
guests) [Bereishis 18:7] as the proof that
Avraham had a generous spirit. Of all the
acts of kindness Avraham did in his lifetime
– how is this the proof that Avraham was a
man of generous spirit?
Why did Avraham give each guest a
tongue of his own? Tongue is the most
expensive part of the cow because there is a
lot more meat on the cow than there is
tongue. Tongue is a great delicacy. Avraham
wanted each guest to have the very best – a
tongue. Tongues are huge. One tongue can
feed 20 people, yet he gave each guest a
tongue of his own.
This is not an easy attribute to acquire. At
best, we can only aspire to be disciples of
Avraham and work on ourselves to try to
emulate this characteristic of his. One who
reaches this level of becoming a conduit for
bestowing blessings upon other people will
himself be showered with blessings from
the Almighty as it is written “Tov Ayin – he
will be blessed.” [Mishlei 22:9]