HOLIDAY LIGHTS ILLUMINATE THE NEED FOR COMPASSION
Even a small act of kindness can give hope, writes Rabbi Shaul Osadchey
A story told by the ancient rabbis portrays Alexander the Great, conqueror of the known world in 323 B.C.E., standing at the gate of the Garden of Eden.
He demands admission and is told that only the righteous may enter the Garden. Alexander becomes indignant.
To save face, Alexander insists that, at the very least, the angel guarding the gate should offer him something of great worth. So, the angel gives him a human eyeball. Puzzled, Alexander places the eyeball on a scale and, to determine its worth, begins to load gold and silver on the other pan of the scale. No matter how much of the precious metal he adds, the eyeball still outweighs it all. Finally, the angel intervenes by covering the eyeball with a thin layer of dust. Unable to see the gold, the eyeball immediately assumes its normal weight.
The story teaches us that the human eye always covets more that it has. No matter how much we possess, enough is never enough. The infinite desire of humanity is the cornerstone of human greed and the violence it generates.
This is the time of the year when various religious traditions use lights as part of their holiday traditions. Christmas lights adorn homes and the Christmas trees within them. Jewish homes are bathed in the light of the eight candles of Hanukkah.
These lights are meant for the human eye to see loving kindness and compassion, rather than material objects for our personal pleasure. Acts of loving kindness are the highest manner in which we can emulate the attributes of God. One who extends hospitality and charity to the stranger is one who recognizes the inherent worth of every human being as created in the image of God.
To give of one’s time and resources is to overcome the suffocation of selfishness. Acts of loving kindness allow godliness to permeate the lives of others, as well as all aspects of creation. Loving kindness fosters life while selfishness extinguishes it.
Ideally, each of us should take notice of those who are hungry, homeless, homebound and isolated, suffering from mental or physical illness, recovering from addiction or impoverished. Even a small act of loving kindness can alleviate their plight and give them hope. In fact, many of us do volunteer at the various organizations in our community that provide such services. However, an even greater number of us find that we are overwhelmed with work and family obligations, and lack the time to perform these acts of loving kindness.
This is where the Calgary Herald Christmas Fund enables each of us to fulfil the desire to perform acts of loving kindness by contributing money to support the worthy efforts on behalf of the recipients in need.
Each donation captures the essence of our respective religious traditions which call us to serve one another with the same love in which we were created by the Source of all Life.
While our particular faith traditions may prompt us to act, the benefit to the recipient is one that is transcendent and universal. A life that is improved and mended is one that uplifts everyone. And so I encourage you, whether you are a Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh or a member of the myriad faiths, to step forward and perform a charitable act of loving kindness that will deepen your compassionate and loving self while giving hope and joy to others.
$347,148:
What the Christmas Fund has raised to date.