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Intent or Act?

Friday, 6 January, 2017 - 1:02 pm

Driving in this week’s winter storm can prove hazardous. My family had the challenge of traveling over a mountain pass in the snow. Fortunately we had snow tires and chains with us.  We made it through the mountain pass uneventfully, except that it took about three hours instead of one hour. I didn’t have the expertise to put on the chains, but there were chain installers that were happy to do so for a fee.

The problem was that after we exited the chain-required area, we needed to take off the chains. I tried my luck, but let’s just say that I’m better at deciphering a page of Talmud.

With no chain installers in the area, I stopped one of the nearby truck drivers who happily came over and helped take off the chains.  He didn’t look like the friendliest guy, but he was indeed. (Never judge a book – certainly not a person! – by its cover!) He even gave me a new bag to store the chains, as ours was a bit torn. When we parted ways he told me about a good friend of his who is Jewish. (I never told him my faith, but apparently it’s obvious! Thank G-d!)

When I got back on the road, I wondered what motivated him to help us in the middle of a snowstorm. He had his own chains to deal with, a much bigger hassle on a tractor-trailer, yet he decided to help me.

Sometimes, when confronted with these thoughts, we might cast negative motives upon others. “Oh, he thought I would pay him for his services.” Or, “he must have been expecting me to help him with his chains afterwards.”

Right or wrong, we should always judge others favorably. But, what if I know that someone has ulterior motives? Does that diminish the act?

***

In this week’s parsha Vayigash, Yosef’s family moves to Egypt and he sustains them.

The Midrash comments that we should learn from Yosef to treat everyone according to their deeds. And we should ask the Almighty to sustain us according to our deeds.

But, do we really need to pray to G-d for that? Isn’t it the fair and just thing for G-d to do already? Shouldn’t we pray to G-d to sustain us beyond our deeds? Why do we need a prayer if G-d is a fair King?

In drawing a parallel from Yosef, we can gain a deeper insight. Yosef’s brothers treated him awfully. First they left him to die. Then they sold him as a slave. Yet, he responded with kindness.

He told his brothers, “Indeed, you intended evil against me, but G-d designed it for good, in order to bring about, what is today, to keep a great populace alive.”

In other words, Yosef judged his brothers’ actions despite their terrible intentions. The deed itself led to a positive outcome. But the intent was mired in moral filth. Nonetheless, Yosef turned a blind eye to the intent and looked exclusively at the act itself, which was positive.

This is the prayer that we ask of G-d. I perform many good deeds. But often they are inspired by the wrong motives. We request that G-d ignore the motive and focus only on the deed.

And, we too should only judge others by their actions, not their intent.

Certainly, G-d will respond in kind and reward us for the good we have done, and disregard our less-than-perfect intentions.

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