“View, from Your sacred residence…” (Devarim 26:15)

Chazal tell us (Medrash Tanchuma Ki Sisa) that the word “Hashkifa” (which means “to gaze with intent”), usually has bad connotations. However, our parsha is the exception.  Here, through the mitzvah of tzedakah, Hashem moves off the seat of judgement to that of mercy. The question is, “How does this work? Also, why is it, so to speak, that when Hashem gazes normally, He is looking at things strictly?”

We are aware that many times when people sin, even though they – G-d forbid – do it with intent, they have a gnawing feeling in their stomach, for they know and understand that it is wrong and they truly feel guilty about doing it. They just could not overcome their temptation. Even when people do mitzvos, often there may be some personal gain involved. Therefore, when Hashem examines our actions and He sees different motivations even in our good actions, some wonderous and some less desirable, what type of opinion of us does Hashem reach?

My father once compared this to golf: Each hole in golf has a certain par, which is the expected number of strokes needed to get the ball into the hole. No one is expected to hit a hole in one, but that is certainly ideal. Depending upon how good a player one is, he will have a particular handicap which will adjust our expectations on how he will perform. So too in service to Hashem, Hashem evaluates each person’s situation and provides the handicap necessary so that he can come up to par.

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach discusses this idea in a responsa on the subject of children who are mentally impaired. He says that there may be situations where the child indeed has a full obligation to perform mitzvos, though it is unrealistic to expect him to execute his obligation properly. Therefore, Hashem will judge him according to his ability.

There are certain mitzvos, however, that their challenge is great enough that it almost is as if we don’t expect one to succeed at it at all. Whatever one does accomplish regarding these mitzvos demonstrates his desire to serve Hashem. This applies to the mitzvah of tzedakah. A person takes his hard-earned money and gives it away gladly. He does this with the understanding that Hashem made him the custodian of these funds, so that he can have the privilege of allocating the funds needed by other human beings. Since this person left his “comfort zone” and did the opposite of what good sense would say, Hashem reciprocates and even if this mitzvah was done without the proper intent (shelo lishma), or was otherwise faulty, Hashem will only see the good in this person’s act.

With this idea we can understand why at this time of year there is a special emphasis on giving tzedakah. Our selflessness and reaching out to help others will bring about mida kneged mida on the way Hashem looks at us during the days of judgement. He will see that we acted out of the box, and hopefully He will act similarly with us.

I would like to expand on this thought with a quote from HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman Z”L. We say at the end of bentching,  וְלֹא רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק נֶעֱזָב(I have not seen a righteous man abandoned). Reb Aharon Leib added: I have not seen a mevater (one who gives deference to another) lose out.

At this time of year, aside from giving tzedakah, we should find other ways to leave our comfort zone for the benefit of others. We also should try to take advantage of the opportunities to (for example) give away our place in line, our chavrusa, or a parking spot, to someone who is in need. By doing this, Hashem’s gaze on us, on the yom hadin, should be a positive one, and one that will bring us brocho in the year to come.