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    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]