Telushkin cites the story of Rabbi Akiva, who visited a poor student when no other rabbis would. The student recovered, and credited his recovery to Rabbi Akiva’s visits. “Visiting the sick” is a mitzvah that rewards us in the ‘world to come.’ Not only do visits provide tangible results - a hot meal, a clean house, a visit to the doctor; these visits might provide those intangible benefits of human contact - laughter, a gentle touch, companionship.
Were Akiva’s visits the cause of the student’s recovery? Who can say. But like the prayer we say before the Amidah, “Prayer may not mend a broken bridge or water a parched field” - to which I always want to add - “But what if it does?” I still believe that part of the reason the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series was because the fans “Believed”. All of the energy that went into the universe as a result of Red Sox Nation believing, was, I am confident, no small contributor to the Sox victory.
But the benefit is not just for the visited. It was my extraordinary blessing to be able to help friends who were suffering through a cancer death. The experience of helping where and when I could has changed me in ways that I cannot yet put into words. Being in the home at the time of my friend’s death is something that has made me a stronger person. I am coming to believe, more and more, in the power of unintended consequences. We can never know how much of a difference a shared joke, a hug or simple, “how are you?” might make in someone’s life.
It takes so little effort to make a difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment