Wednesday, November 9, 2011

B'chardal

Chazal teach us [Bava Metzia 86b] that Avraham served his guests three tongues in mustard [b'chardal] - one for each guest.

The Vilna Gaon was sitting and teaching Torah to a group of students. Said the Gaon: "We find that there are three positive characteristics that can be found in all righteous men:

1. They feel compassion for the poor
2. They suffice with little
3. Their hearts quake with fear of Hashem.

These qualities are alluded to in the word b'chardal - as the Hebrew letters of this word can be rearranged in three different ways:

1. bachar-dal - they choose the poor and love them
2. chadal-rav - they shun excessive lifestyles and make do with less
3. charad-lev - their hearts quake with the fear of Heaven

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

1 comment:

Tali said...

Thanks for once again showing us more of the deep and potentially life-changing poetry of Torah. What a beautiful peirush.