BH
In Parshat Vayera we read G-d’s description of Avraham and the legacy he would leave. “For I have known him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of G-d, to do what is just and right” (Bereishit 18:19).
At first glance, this definition of Avraham is surprising. Avraham is after all, the very symbol of kindness. The prophet speaks of “kindness to Avraham” (Michah 7:20), and in this parsha we see him running in the desert heat simply to welcome strangers into his tent.
Why is it that when the Torah describes Avraham’s future legacy, it speaks of teaching his children righteousness and justice, while saying nothing of the kindness that defined his life?
Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov explains that kindness, by its very nature, means going beyond what is required. It needs no measuring. Anyone with a good heart can give more than is expected, and with kindness there are no rigid rules.
Justice, however, means giving each person exactly what is deserved without leaning to the right or to the left. Finding the precise middle path is difficult, while straying from it is easy. Such balance does not come naturally, it must be learned, and it must be actively taught.
This is why Avraham taught his children what is just and right. Kindness they would see in his home every day, fairness and justice required repeated instruction.
There is a lesson here for each of us. When it comes to fairness, good intentions are not enough. Treating others justly, in business, family and community, requires study and guidance.
When it comes to kindness, we need not hold back or calculate. We can give generously and without limit, just as G-d gives to us. Justice must be taught, but kindness is learned by example and flows from the heart.
Shabbat Shalom
