Create Chain Of Kindness

August 19, 2005|By Cantor Karen Braunstein Temple Shaarei Shalom

A few years ago, before Temple Shaarei Shalom moved into our temple building on Hagen Ranch Road, Rabbi Fratello and I got into a conversation about a movie he had seen called Pay It Forward.

I hadn't seen the movie and, honestly, didn't think much about it, until I decided to rent the video a few months ago. I made the mistake of asking my kids to watch it with me, as I knew that the film would deliver an important message. What I didn't know is that the movie has a shocking and tragic ending. Although we enjoyed and were moved by the film, the ending was tough to handle and took a lot out of us emotionally.

So, why do I bring this up? Now that I have seen the movie, its message echoes in my mind almost daily.

The premise of the film, without going into the plot, is that everything we do is "paid forward." If we are nasty and cruel to another human being, it affects not only that one person, but affects others, creating a chain of cruelty or sadness.

The same holds true for the good and wonderful things we do for others. Doing something kind can engender a positive, giving feeling that gets passed on to everyone else who is touched by that person.

In the movie, one boy sets out to show how a single act of kindness can produce a long chain of more kind acts. Why does this scenario, this theme, come to mind each day?

It is evident that in our self-absorbed society, it is becoming more and more important to do little things each day to make others feel good. How difficult is it to say "thank you" to a person who holds a door open for you, and how much of an imposition is it to let a car merge in front of you when his lane is ending?

Yet, each day I see people not willing to give an inch for another person.

We become so lost in our own needs and desire for comfort, that we fail to see the big picture. How is this affecting those around me?

When we give to others and make people feel happier, it actually makes us feel better as well. And who knows what profound effect our little good deed or nice comment will have on other people down the road?

How different our world would be if everyone remembered the words, "Elu d'varim sh'ein l'hem shi'ur ... u'g'milut chasadim ... " In English, "these are the obligations without measure ... to perform acts of loving kindness."

Even the smallest act of kindness can be "paid forward," creating a much kinder society.

Cantor Karen Braunstein is the cantor at Temple Shaarei Shalom, 9085 Hagen Ranch Road, west of Boynton Beach. The temple is having an open house at 3 p.m. Sunday. Call 561-364-9054.

Sun Sentinel Articles