A Vehicle of Kindness: A Collection of Anecdotes About Kindness

“Please, Do You a Favor”

The Rebbe of Toldot Aharon once shared a touching story that happened as he walked through the streets of Meah Shearim to the beit midrash (house of study). As he walked, a car pulled up beside him, and the driver—a fellow Jew—begged the rebbe, "Please, do me a favor and let me drive you there."

The rebbe politely declined. “It’s better for me to walk,” he explained, “This way, I earn the reward of every step taken toward the beit midrash.”

In response, the driver shared a deeply personal story. “When I first bought this car,” he began, “I went to my rebbe, the Beit Yisrael of Ger, and asked him for advice and a spiritual merit (segulah) to protect me from car accidents.”

The Beit Yisrael responded that the best protection was to use the car for acts of kindness every single day.

“And now,” continued the man, “it’s been twelve years. Every single day I’ve used this car for a mitzvah, and not once has it needed repairs.”

The man paused, then added with emotion, “This is my last trip of the day. I haven’t yet used my car today to help a fellow Jew. That’s why it's so important to me to give you a ride."

Every Day of Kindness Advocates for Us in Heaven

The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that each day a Jew performs a chesed (act of kindness) functions as his guardian and advocate in the Heavenly Court.

Don’t Let a Day Go By Without Kindness

The Shelah HaKadosh, commented on the verse “Your kindness is all day long” (Tehillim 52:3) “A person should not let a single day of life pass without doing a chesed for another—whether with his body or his money.”

Why Was Man Created? To Benefit Others

Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, quoting Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, writes: “A person must understand that his entire purpose for coming into this world is not for himself, but solely to help and benefit others.”

The Chafetz Chaim said to His Student: You Were Created to Help Others

There was once a gifted student in the yeshiva of the Chafetz Chaim, known for his stirring public sermons. Before Rosh Hashanah, a nearby town invited the young man to inspire their community during the Days of Awe. The student declined, wishing instead to remain close to his revered teacher.

The Chafetz Chaim summoned him and said, “You were not created for yourself, but for others. Since the people in that town need you, it is your obligation to go—this is why you were created.”

What Did the Chafetz Chaim Do After Yom Kippur Evening Prayers?

Rav Shach once recounted an extraordinary story about the Chafetz Chaim’s deep compassion. After the Yom Kippur evening prayers, most of the yeshiva students in Radin went to rest. One man remained—a single, unmarried 60-year-old suffering from a lung condition, which had hindered his chances for marriage. He sat alone, despondent.

Suddenly, the Chafetz Chaim approached and began conversing with him warmly and informally. He shared how he had lost his father at age 10, how he agreed to marry his stepfather’s daughter, despite the fact that she was several years older, to preserve family harmony, and how he had suffered from poverty and opposition from secular thinkers in Vilna.

“Yet through it all,” said the Chafetz Chaim, “Hashem always helped me. No one knows what is truly good or bad for them. I’ve always turned to Hashem, and I’ve seen that He holds my hand and guides me for my good.”

Rav Shach concluded: “And thus, the Chafetz Chaim sat with the man, comforting and uplifting him—not with Torah, not with ethical rebuke, not with fear of divine judgment, but simply with heartfelt kindness on the night of Yom Kippur.”

A Torah Commandment: “And You Shall Walk in His Ways”

The Jerusalem Talmud teaches that acts of kindness surpass charity. Rabbi Abba Shaul explains: “‘You shall be like Him’—just as He is merciful and gracious, so shall you be.”

He elaborates: “Charity and kindness are equal to all the mitzvot in the Torah. Charity is only for the living, but kindness applies to both the living and the dead. Charity is limited to the poor, but kindness benefits both the poor and the wealthy. Charity is through money alone, but kindness includes both money and physical acts.”

Kindness Is More Precious Than Charity

The Jerusalem Talmud also cites Rabbi Yochanan bar Mariah, who quotes Rabbi Yochanan: “We don’t know which is greater—charity or kindness.” But then the verse declares, “The kindness of Hashem is forever and forever upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness unto children’s children.”

This proves, concludes the sage, that "chesed is more beloved in the eyes of God than even charity."

Final Thought: A Daily Duty, A Lifelong Purpose

These stories and teachings reiterate that a life of meaning is not built on grand achievements or public acclaim, but on quiet, consistent acts of kindness. From helping a rebbe get to the beit midrash to uplifting someone who is down and out on Yom Kippur, these small moments of kindness ripple across heaven—and eternity.