24 Jan THE SECRET OF CHEIN

The great Rav Chatzkel
Levenstein, zt”l, zy”a,
made a very interesting
observation about the saga
in Egypt. He comments
that the greatest miracle
that occurred in Egypt
was the fact that when we
were ready to leave after
210 years, the Jews found
such favor in the eyes of the Egyptians that
they were ready to give to the Jews all of their
prized possessions. Observed Rav Chatzkel,
for 117 years of slavery and persecution, the
Egyptians were disgusted with the Jewish
people. In the last years, the Egyptians suffered
horribly through the Jews as they were tortured
and decimated by the Ten Plagues. Yet, Rav
Chatzkel questions, as this period came to a
conclusion, all of a sudden the Egyptians had
an about face and the Jews had favor in their
eyes? This is contrary to any human sense
whatsoever.
Rather Rav Chatzkel explains that this is
a Divine miracle engineered by Hashem in
fulfillment of the verse, “B’retzos Hashem
darchei ish, gam oivav yashlim ito – When
Hashem favors the ways of man, even his
enemy’s make peace with him.” Thus, when
Yosef was viceroy and he saved the land of
Egypt, the Jews were favored by the Egyptians.
However, when Yosef died and they annulled

the performance of circumcision and the Jews
said let us be like the Egyptians, Hashem then
forcibly separated us from the Egyptians by
making them loathe us. Later, at the time of the
Exodus, when the Jews eschewed the Egyptian
idolatry and took their sheep-G-d for the
korban pesach and circumcised themselves,
Hashem allowed once again the Jews to find
favor in the eyes of the Egyptians.
When Jews came to America and they were
confronted with the waspish society that didn’t
allow them into the country clubs, some made
the mistake of thinking that if they became
more American they would be more accepted.
The reality is just the opposite. When we try
to be like the goyim, that causes them to repel
us as a safeguard against assimilation. Thus,
the golden age of Spain came to a crashing
halt when we became just like the Spaniards
and, as the famous saying goes, “If the Jews
don’t make Kiddush, then the goyim make
Havdalah,” meaning, if we don’t behave with
the proper sanctity, then the goyim make the
separation. As the posuk teaches, ‘Heim am
lovodod yishkon,’ when we are a nation that
dwells apart, then ‘U’vagoyim lo yischashov,’
the other nations don’t take note of us and
don’t cause us problems.
The finding of chein-favor is a very important
quality. The Steipler Gaon, zt”l, zy”a, writes
in his work Chayyei Olam that Hashem
demonstrated with the plagues that He

controls nature whether it’s the food supply
(with plagues such as locusts and hail), or the
water supply (with the plague of blood), or the
animals (with the wild beasts and pestilence).
He also showed that He wields the power of
who should find favor in the eyes of who.
Every day we ask in the morning, “Us’neinu
hayom uv’chol yom, l’chein, ul’chesed
ul’rachamim, b’einechah,” in Your eyes,
“V’einei chol ro’einu,” and in the eyes of
those who see us. In bentching, we also say in
the fourth bracha that Hashem should give us
chein, to find favor. Chein is a great commodity
because it benefits us even if we don’t deserve
it. That is why it’s the root of the word chinam
which means free, because one who finds favor
benefits even when it’s not deserved.
In my study of Chok L’Yisroel, I learned a
Zohar that Noach found favor in the Eyes of
Hashem and the Zohar asks, How did Noach
accomplish this? The Zohar reveals that it’s
embedded in Noach’s name which can be read
nun-ches, Noach, and ches-nun, Chein, and if a
person adopts a gentle style with those around
them, that’s a way to find favor in the Eyes of
Hashem. That also why the Mishnah in Pirkei
Avos states, Kol she’ruach haberios nochah
heimenu, ruach haMakom nochah heimenu –
Whomever people are at ease with, Hashem is
also at ease with them.” A great recipe to find
favor in the Eyes of Hashem, even if we might
not be deserving, is to adopt a gentle demeanor

and calm
attitude to
our fellow
man.
May it we
the will of
Hashem that
we cultivate
the awesome
trait of gentleness, as the Gemora advises,
“L’olam ye’hei adam rach k’kanah – May a

person always be gentle as a reed.” In that mer-
it, may we find favor in Eyes of Hashem and

our fellow man and be blessed with long life,
good health, and everything wonderful.