The cycle of goodness in the world, or the story of the “mechanism” for the return of good deeds. About the cycle of goodness in nature “It all starts with my father’s dream”
August 13th, 2015 , 12:00 am
You know, in my picture of the world there are such concepts as karma and the boomerang effect. I believe in them in theory, and in practice I have been convinced of them more than once in my own life. And the story I wrote below illustrates these concepts.
As a girl in an interesting situation (who came up with the idea of calling expecting a child an interesting situation?), I wanted to organize a photo shoot for Ruslan and me as a keepsake. And I started looking for photographers.
In general, the best thing to do first was to come up with an idea for a photo shoot, and start looking after that. But sometimes it happens that the idea comes already in the process. That's what I hoped for :)
How many websites and Instagrams I looked at... in the end I even gave up on some special idea and I just wanted a couple of dozen beautiful photos together.
But the more I looked, the less I liked anyone. Usually, even from twenty photographers, you can choose one excellent one and one in reserve. Here I didn’t want to choose at all. And it’s not that I have any special requirements, although I certainly have them.
I looked at the photographs and saw only beautiful pictures. Behind these pictures I didn’t see people, their emotions, feelings, what kind of people they were... that’s what I missed most of all - realness.
And then one day we raised this topic with my pregnant friend who lives across the street. She complained to me that she couldn’t find a photographer for a joint photo shoot with her husband and asked for someone to recommend. We had a lot to talk about :)
But I had something to offer her. And I invited them to take a photo with Ruslan. I may not be the most objective model, but I really, really like the way Rusik sees the world through the lens. And I was lucky enough to have many different and beautiful portraits of his authorship.
The guys agreed to our proposal and a couple of weekends ago we organized a photo shoot for them. Rusik took the photos, I was responsible for the locations. And besides the fact that we had a great time together, we took almost a hundred warm, touching and bright photographs for the guys. Which, by the way, were delivered the very next day - where else can you find such efficiency? :) Without false modesty, I will say that the guys were very, very pleased. And we, in fact, too, since we touched their magical waiting period and were glad to give them a memory of it.
In the end, I came to terms with the fact that we won’t have a photo shoot, because it’s better than none at all. And last week, a friend wrote to me with an offer for Ruslan and me to film with her husband. To say that I was surprised is to say nothing :)
We, of course, agreed. And last Saturday we went to San Francisco for a photo shoot. Which took place in an incredibly pleasant and comfortable atmosphere and we have already seen its results. And we are very, very pleased with how it turned out. As soon as all the photos are ready, I will certainly share them with you.
In the meantime, I was once again convinced that the world is amazing, capable of surprises, and it knows more than we do.
Do you know what it is: “The cycle of goodness in nature”?
This is an undeniable law of nature. Everything comes back like a boomerang, and goodness too. It worked, it works and will always work.
In general, what is GOOD?
If we turn to the Slavic source "Good" is the fifth letter of the Slavic alphabet. This letter symbolizes purity. The true meaning of this word is “virtue”.
Now in the modern world this word symbolizes the moral component of a person. A man is judged by his deeds. Anyone who does good deeds is considered worthy. It happens that a person does a good deed because it is fashionable or to gain recognition from society, or maybe his profession obliges him? I think that only a good deed benefits a person if it is done with sincere motives of the heart.
Do, do good. What does it mean?
For me - most likely - it is
- To do something nice for a person, as my heart tells me. Here I want to make an important emphasis: Listen to your heart. Only the heart will tell you what is right.
- Do a good deed and expect nothing in return. As in the cartoon, do you remember when the Raccoon gave flowers saying: “This is for you. JUST"
- There is a saying (I couldn’t find the author) - “Imposed good is evil. So that’s what I’m talking about? You don’t have to force it on a person. You can offer it.
In general, no one will fully say what is “GOOD” and what is “EVIL”. I think I will continue this topic in one of the following articles. To avoid missing out, subscribe to blog updates or at the bottom of this article.
You won't believe it - I was surprised when I opened the dictionary of synonyms. So - the word “Good” is synonymous with the words “Good” and “Prosperity”. This is the confirmation of the law. Good comes back as good. There is a cycle of goodness in nature.
Hurry up to do good deeds
"Hurry up to do
good deeds"
(A. Yashin)Hurry up to do good deeds,
Don't throw your life into oblivion,
Give people a little warmth
Do kindness without regret.From the tired bustle of life,
Lost hearts are filled with doubt.
But everyone has a piece of kindness -
And the light will dispel the darkness. The time will come.Whoever directs his thoughts towards good,
Does not require recognition - free,
Lives in harmony with himself,
Lives in harmony with nature itself.And the man is truly beautiful,
By giving kindness, he knows what happiness is.
Having enriched yourself only with kindness,
Becoming wiser and more beautiful.And it seems that life is still long,
But time speeds up so quickly...
Hurry up to do good deeds -
It's not too late to fill life with new meaning!
And finally, I suggest you watch this amazing video from youtube user Boba Parkera.
Hello again, my dear friends!
I know that you lost me, that you are very worried - your visits to the site and such kind letters to your email speak about this every day. I myself really missed our communication. But somehow it happened this time. We have been in Stary Oskol for two weeks and all these days we have been fighting an endless battle with shoulder pain. I didn’t think or imagine that this shoulder would cause me so much suffering and torment. I had to spend one night in intensive care, but, thank God, everything worked out. Now hope is for St. Petersburg, for our wise doctor Aibolit - Vladimir Herbertovich. Somehow I need to get rid of this pain, since my “angelic” patience is already coming to an end.
And so, apart from this “misunderstanding,” our life goes on, even if it’s so “clumsy” for now, but it makes me happy. I rejoice at every visit of my children and grandson, because I see that they come not just to “do their duty” and visit their sick mother, but because they are drawn to their parents’ home, they are comfortable and interested in us. I rejoice every morning at the arrival of my mother, who after the death of my father somehow wilted, and I was in the constant role of a “stimulator.” And now she had meaning in life, she felt needed and important. That's what we call her - our housekeeper.
I am also glad that there are actually so many kind and sympathetic people around me. And oddly enough, it was my illness that opened my eyes to everything that was happening around me. Those people whom I thought I could count on for some kind of support simply walked away from me, as if I had never been in their lives. And others, whom I barely know, call Sasha, inquire about my progress in treatment, and offer their help. This is probably how it should have been. Life puts everything in its place...
And today I wanted to talk about goodness.
I think that every person is kind by nature. And the evidence is everywhere - someone helps an elderly person cross the street, someone worries and cries when they show us news from the same Ukraine, and someone sends an SMS with the word “WELCOME” to help a sick child. There are many examples of this. And it seems like a complete stranger, an absolute stranger, but there are experiences and feelings for him. And all because a person is kind, kind by nature, he is born with it. And I am deeply convinced that a person’s desire for good is an innate quality, so to speak, the basis of a person. Have you ever wondered why all the religions of the world unanimously talk about the importance of GOOD?
Yes, because this is the most important quality of a person. Being kind, a person is capable of love. When I sign postcards, I always write an SMS: “I wish you goodness, love, happiness...”. I try to wish a person what, in my opinion, is most important and necessary (of course, not forgetting about health). And if you think like this, then no other external manifestations will give us such an idea of spiritual harmony as these feelings.
So why do people sometimes allow themselves to waste their time, doing bad deeds, unkind deeds for the sake of insignificant benefits, bit by bit losing the most important quality that Mother Nature gave us?
Today, it is becoming less and less common to meet truly kind people. For some reason, many people want to receive good things and not give them away. Even such terms as “kindness with benefit”, “kindness with self-interest”, “kindness with anger”, etc. appeared. And there are those who believe that there is no need to do good, and that good deeds are often not only not rewarded, but also doom the person who did them to suffering. Many people believe that the saying “if you don’t do good, you won’t get evil,” has not yet been canceled.
I am for natural kindness, which comes deep from the soul. When all good deeds are done naturally, without hesitation or miscalculation. When a person helps without hesitation someone who needs any help - moral, physical, material. He helps as much as he can and with whatever he can, but always from the heart, sincerely, without any far-reaching calculations. I am sure that such people will definitely get their property back.
Being kind is a natural and deep quality of a person, inherent in childhood, which, alas, is more and more destroyed due to improper upbringing, habits and the influence of the surrounding reality in which the child grows and develops.
My parent-teacher conferences are always crowded. Whole families come - mom, dad, and even grandparents. And “don’t feed me honey” - let me chat. It always starts in a formulaic way: “I won’t keep you for long, I understand that everyone values their time”... We deal with organizational issues quickly, but we linger for a long time with educational issues. And I always try to touch upon the topic of goodness and the child’s behavior outside the home in our conversations.
From childhood we are taught what is good and what is bad, then we teach our children, grandchildren, and so on down the line. Probably, no parent wants to raise their “child” to be an evil person. Then the question arises - if a child initially believes in goodness and justice, then where do evil and cruelty come from? Usually, until the age of two, a child is in close contact with his family and immediate environment, and then kindergarten, school, and close contact with other children begin. Then why can a child, already at the age of one, bite or hit another child, drag a cat by the tail, or tear off the wings of a butterfly?
I remember once relatives came to us in Samara with their grandson Radik. We were still very young parents at that time, Masha was little, and our universal favorite, Alkona (a Russian spaniel dog) lived with us - the kindest creature, with kind, gentle eyes. She allowed Masha to do literally everything—put caps on her head, baby vests, romper suits, and roll her around in a toy baby stroller. Masha will roll her until the dog falls asleep in the stroller. And how was that dream protected? Dad and I were ordered to walk on a line and not make any noise. (As I write now, I remember such moments from my distant youth, and again and again I return to my joys)…
But with Radik everything turned out differently. In our kitchen, above the sofa, there was a decorative wooden set with planks and a large hammer. And so Radik climbs and climbs onto this sofa, and stretches and reaches for the hammer. I think he probably wants to play. To the question: “What will you do with the hammer?” - “I want to hit Alkona on the head.” - "For what? Look how kind she is, play with her, let’s give her the ball” - “No! I want to hit you on the head! Want Want!…". To tears, to hysteria...
Where does such cruelty come from? After all, no one taught him such aggressiveness. Didn't nature put good feelings into his little head and soul?
I love children, I watch them a lot, especially when I am in close contact with them at training camps or sports camps. Where there is less running and racing, and where there is time to chat and have heart-to-heart conversations. Children are like an open book. Yes, they already know how to be cunning, deceive, and even say what is beneficial to say in a given conversation. But you can’t fool me, “old Tortilla” - I read between the lines.
And that's what I noticed. In those families where not everything is so smooth and prosperous, one of the parents drinks, the family is on the verge of divorce, constant quarrels, dad beats mom, screaming, yelling, etc., children are much more embittered and touchy, capable of any action on the part of the other child, they immediately see some kind of trick and use their fists.
This is an example of older, closest and beloved people. And if “education” is carried out in public, humiliating your child in front of peers and their parents, as can often be seen in our pool, what can you expect from this child in the future? What can be expected is that the child will begin to project the cruelty of adults, and will “educate” in the same way those who are weaker and younger than him, including our smaller brothers.
Well, okay, I already wrote about this. Let's not repeat ourselves. Today is about kindness.
Usually about a person who is kind by nature and loves people, they say “A good person.”
There is one interesting quote from Evgeny Schwartz: “Will it really become fashionable to be a good person? This is so troublesome!”
Indeed, in our “cruel” life, such qualities as rudeness and selfishness are increasingly acquired - it is easier and more profitable to live with them. “Good-natured people” with an open heart are already looked at as aliens from another planet.
As a result, people are still divided into good and evil. A person who does good lives, improves himself spiritually and improves everything around him. But what about evil people who do a lot of evil, they also live and often “don’t give a damn”? It happens that an evil person, in the struggle for survival, can do good, but only to himself, to the detriment of those around him. The fight against evil is the natural state of man; without such a fight there will be no progress. And as long as good prevails, humanity will exist and develop, but if evil comes, civilization will collapse. I think many people understand this and many have begun to think about their actions.
I really like the word “CHARITY”.
I am moved to tears by the grannies who, living on a meager pension, manage to save a pretty penny and take it to a fund to help those in need. I remember a story with a young man. Without giving his first and last name, he phoned Masha and offered his help to poor old people. Then he and Masha went around to pensioners, handing them envelopes with money: some for treatment, some for repayment of rent arrears, and others for the purchase of a basic gas water heater. Thanks to the young man (providing assistance in purchasing an expensive medicine), the life of a specific person was saved. Once Masha asked him: “Why is he doing this?” To which he replied: “When I do a good deed, I receive the most important thing - moral satisfaction and an increase in vital energy. For me, this is the most valuable feeling when you helped, and the person is sincerely grateful to you. It often seems that your help is so small, but for a person at such a moment it is simply priceless.”
To benefit someone in order to gain satisfaction yourself, without experiencing disappointment if your action is not properly appreciated. When a person does good deeds, he does them first of all for himself. It’s probably not in vain that they say that no matter what a person does, it will come back to him in an increased size, be it good or bad.
I think that every person has his own measure of good and evil, and everyone, having gained life experience and gone through some of their own tests in life, chooses their own specific template, with which they begin to measure good and evil.
For me personally, such a measure and template is my inner voice, my controller and judge, which either accuses me from within, or oppresses me, or sometimes gives me a feeling of joy and moral satisfaction for what I have done.
I call my controller the simple word “CONSCIENCE”.
« Just as a hungry person cannot convince himself that he is full, and an exhausted person cannot convince himself that he is cheerful and full of strength and energy, so we cannot convince ourselves that we have acted well and correctly when our conscience convicts us of what we did wrong.”
Why did I decide to talk about this topic? I think that together we can improve this world if everyone brings a little kindness to others. And you can start very small - just smile at each other. Nothing inspires positivity and goodness better. Be among the best, they are always smiling!
The cycle of goodness in nature
One day, a cactus bloomed in a young woman’s apartment. Before that, he had been stuck on the windowsill for 4 years, looking like a gloomy and unshaven janitor, and suddenly such a surprise.
It’s strange that they consider me an evil, soulless bitch, the woman thought. This is all untrue; the soulless and evil don’t have cacti that bloom.
In pleasant thoughts about a blooming cactus, she accidentally stepped on the foot of a gloomy man in the subway. At his remark, she did not yell as usual with an offended look: “Oh, if you are such a gentleman, then take a taxi!”, but smiled:
- Don’t be angry with me, please, I have nothing to hold on to, if you want, step on my foot too and we’ll be even.
The gloomy man swallowed what he was about to voice about her. Then he got out at his station and, buying a newspaper, instead of being rude to the saleswoman who was confused with counting the change, calling her a stupid cow, he told her:
- It’s okay, count it again, I’m also not good at math early in the morning.
The saleswoman, who did not expect such an answer, became emotional and gave away two old magazines and a whole pile of old newspapers for free to a pensioner - a regular customer who really loved reading the press, but bought only one cheaper newspaper every day. Of course, unsold goods were supposed to be written off, but any rules can be circumvented.
- Come on, don’t be upset, I sometimes forget my things too. You sit for a minute, and I’ll check with the doctor to see if he can see you.
The grandmother, upon arriving at the appointment, did not demand to be prescribed a very effective, but inexpensive medicine that could instantly help cure the disease, threatening if she refused to write complaints to all authorities up to the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights, but sighed and said:
“I’m not completely out of my mind yet, I understand that old age cannot be cured, but you, doctor, forgive me for constantly dragging myself to you as if I were going to work.”
And the doctor, heading home in the evening, suddenly remembered the grandmother and felt sorry for her. He suddenly thought that life in its usual bustle was flying by, and, succumbing to a sudden impulse, stopped at the nearest supermarket, bought a bouquet of flowers, a cake with cream roses, and drove off in a completely different direction. I drove up to the house, went up to the third floor and knocked on the door.
- I was thinking, why do we share everything, like children playing in a sandbox. I bought you a cake, but I accidentally put my briefcase on it and it got wrinkled. But it’s okay, it won’t affect the taste. I also bought you flowers, but they were also slightly crumpled by the same briefcase. But maybe they will leave?
“They will definitely leave,” the woman answered, “we will resuscitate them.” And I have news. Just imagine, I woke up today, looked at the window, and my cactus was blooming. Do you see?
Now we will focus on chapter 11. And only 12 chapters, like 12 months. It is interesting that in the parables of Solomon (Mishlei) there are 31 chapters, like 31 days. But here there are 12 chapters, and one could study 1 chapter of Kohelet every month and 1 parable every day. And then it would be great: every day would be filled with the wisdom of King Solomon.
So, passage 1 of chapter 11 begins with a very famous expression that has gone down in the history of thinking throughout the world. King Solomon formulated it this way:
Send your bread on the waters, for after many days you will find it.
What is meant? Rashi says: “Do goodness and mercy for other people.” Outwardly, it’s as if you’re giving to nowhere, you’re giving to another person. It is especially difficult to give if you do not know this person.
You never know how it will come back to you. For example, as in the case of the commandment about hospitality, when a person you may not know comes to visit. Like Abraham, our Forefather waited for guests to fulfill the commandment of hospitality.
By the way, the essence of this commandment is: Everything in this world belongs to God. We are all guests in this world. And the person tries to welcome the guest well in his “mini-world”. And God, as a credit for fulfilling this commandment, “accepts man well in this world.”
How Yitro accepted Moshe without knowing him. And he said to his daughter: “Go and feed him, invite him home.”
As a result, the unknown “Egyptian shepherd” Moshe became Moshe Rabbeinu - the greatest Leader in the entire history of the world. He married Itro's daughter. Itro converted and a chapter in the Torah is named after him. And his descendants were in the Sanhedrin (the supreme court during the Temple).
It all starts with the fact that you do good to some person, and then it comes back to you. Simply put, there was the famous story of Charles Schwab, who was the manager of the richest man in the world 100 years ago. He told how he became his business manager with a salary of $1,000,000 a year. 100 years ago he was paid a salary of $1,000,000! People then earned $100 a month on average.
He was working as a salesman in a store, and an elderly woman came in. It was raining outside and she went in to wait. Charles Schwab offered her a chair, she sat down and he said something kind to her. Then she came home and said to her son: what a good man, he treated me with attention. And Andrew Carnegie, her son, had such a strategy in life that he was always looking for smart and good people. He said that this was his secret to success. And even on his grave he ordered it to be written that here lies a man who knew how to gather around himself people who were much smarter than himself.
And he invited this Charles Schwab to his place. At first he became his assistant, grew up and became his manager of all his affairs.
Another famous story that this passage illustrates is that when you send your bread out on the water, after some time it will return to you. A week ago, a friend of mine told me this story.
One girl worked as a restaurant director. Another girl from the village, who had nowhere to live, got a job there as a waitress. She let her live with her and gave her her clothes. Several years passed, this waitress girl became a singer. She is currently recording her album in London.
They told her: can you take someone with you as an assistant, who do you want? And she remembered the one who helped her several years ago, and she suddenly invited her out of the blue: come with me to London for a couple of weeks, live, relax, there is a beautiful hotel there.
King Solomon said: Send your bread to the water. Time will pass and you will find him. Do good deeds and mercy for other people, and it will definitely come back to you somehow.
The most famous story that I remember is how a kind word saved a man’s life. A delegation of rabbis in Argentina checked one meat processing plant to see how kosher the meat was, how it was stored, and so on. They inspected this meat processing plant for several days, there were about 15 rabbis, and one day they were leaving this meat processing plant, and the guard said: one is missing. They say: how is there not enough? They didn't notice it themselves.
Indeed, one elderly rabbi is missing. They started looking for him, and he fell in one of the refrigerators, lost consciousness, and had a heart attack. They found him, called an ambulance, and managed to save him. But, if the guard had not noticed that one was missing, then naturally he would have died. Then they began to thank this guard: how did you notice, even we didn’t notice, although he was with us, and we didn’t notice that he wasn’t with us, but you noticed?
And he says: it’s just that when you came in and out, he was the only one who said hello and goodbye to me. And then you go out, and no one greets me. That's why I noticed that he wasn't with you. In general, good things come back, that’s a fact.
Therefore, chapter 11, passage 1 says that you need to do good, and when you give, you gave it to the water, but it will be returned to you. They say that you cannot enter the same river twice. That is, don’t expect it to come back from where you gave it. You simply create good in the world, which will then be returned to you. King Solomon clarifies this in parables and says that the one who takes pity on the poor, the disadvantaged, it is as if he is lending to God. And G-d will always return. It’s as if you are creating a deposit in Heaven. With any good deed you create a deposit in Heaven.
In passage 2 he continues:
Give part (of grain) to seven and even eight, for you do not know what misfortune can happen on earth.
Here you need to figure it out, there is some code here. You need to divide what you give into seven people and eight. Metsudat David explains: Give to everyone and don’t let it seem to you that there are too many of them.
Why did he choose the number 7? Because 7 is such an even number, it’s 7 days of the week. 7 in Judaism is considered an even number that describes this material world. Center - top, bottom - and four cardinal directions. 7 notes.
And 8 is already more than this world. This is an exit to the spiritual space. On the 8th day, circumcision is performed. Sign of Union with God.
There is such a Lerner family in Israel; they never know how many guests they will have on Shabbat. They have an open house, everyone comes. They do Shabbats for Russians. And nearby there is a house that hosts Shabbats for English-speaking people. So 40-50 people come to the Lerner family, and 100-150 people come to the English-speaking family of their neighbors. How everyone fits is unclear. The apartment is quite small, you never know how much food there will be, but there is enough space and food for everyone. As it used to be in the Jerusalem Temple, there is enough for everyone.
And he says: when you begin to do good, consider that you have a companion - this is G-d. He will help you. If you have the intention of giving to people and doing good, then know that G‑d will give you resources and help you.
And they don’t worry, they try to do good and they succeed all the time.
Rashi explains: “When it says, give a portion for seven—that’s the 7 days of Passover.” It is very important that when the week of Passover, 7 days of Passover, they have a meal every day and invite those who do not have the opportunity to organize a holiday for themselves. And God says in the Torah that if you yourself are celebrating, and there are people nearby who are starving (widows, orphans, etc.), then your celebration is unpleasant to God. This is not a Commandment.
Rashi explains that “Give part of the grain 7 and 8” is not just giving away bread and wine. There are 3 periods in which it is very important to do this. The three main holidays listed in the Torah are Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.
3 times a year it was necessary to go up to Jerusalem (it is higher than other cities both physically? and spiritually), when there was a Temple. And there they celebrated Passover for 7 days. People who wanted to correctly fulfill the Commandment collected money all year in order to eat there and glorify God on these days. It was necessary to dress festively, and eat, and rejoice, and invite the Levites, the poor, and so on, so that there would be a holiday for the whole people.
And so all of Jerusalem during these 7 days of Passover was a continuous holiday, everyone came to rejoice. For it is said: “Rejoice on the holidays.”
And 8 days are 8 days of Sukkot. During this time, we need to save money for the holiday and distribute it, organize a holiday for those who have no money and no opportunity.
You do not know what evil will come to earth, King Solomon said in other chapters of Kohelet. Sometimes people save money. They live for money. They don’t give birth to children and don’t serve God because “they have to earn money.” And then evil comes, and you can’t do anything about it.
God forbid what happened 70 years ago. 6 million Jews were killed in concentration camps. 200 million people were killed in wars in the 20th century. People saved and collected all their lives, and then it still disappeared somewhere. And if they had given more to tzedakah (charity), the Catastrophe would not have happened. If people did more mercy and kindness, then there would be no evil in the world.
And so a person is always afraid of what will happen to him tomorrow, he has fear, he is not sure of his future. And he saves all the time.
But at the beginning of Kohelet, King Solomon sorted it all out in the first chapters: where are you saving, you don’t know where it will all go. Will it be left for your children? You don't know what will happen to them, what they will be like.
It is imperative to do good - this is what goes with a person to Heaven.
They asked Rothschild, the one who laid the foundations of this family: “How much money do you have?” He named a fairly small amount. They tell him: “No, you have more.” And he says: “No, all this is not mine. And mine is only what I gave away. What I gave away for good deeds is with me forever, and it’s just mine. And the fact that I have some assets is not mine, because I will die and I won’t have it.”
When the clouds fill, they pour rain on the ground.
If the clouds are filled with rain, thunderclouds, then it will definitely rain.
And if a tree falls, whether it’s to the south or to the north, wherever the tree fell, that’s where it will lie.
This is some kind of incomprehensible chapter... What kind of tree will fall? It turns out to be some kind of lesson in geography or natural history and botany.
Actually the point here is that this is an explanation of the previous passage. He says: like clouds that are filled with water, they must give this water back. Likewise, the person to whom G‑d gives money and opportunities today, he gives not only for him, but also for those who are in need.
Through this person there is also a blessing on those people to whom he, in principle, must distribute at least a tenth of what he earns.
But there are people who keep it to themselves and don’t give it away. There are people who pass this on. The maximum you can give is up to a fifth – 20%.
There are people who give a fifth. One very rich businessman, a righteous Jew, told me his “life hack in communicating with God. He said: sometimes I have something to do, I want it to work out, but it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. When I am called to the Torah in the synagogue, I stand next to the Torah scroll and say to G-d: “If it is bad for me, then there is no need for it to work out. But if this is good for me and something is a little lacking, then let’s agree that I will give a fifth of what I earn in this business to good deeds, to charity. And if I don’t need it, then it won’t work.”
He says that very often it didn’t work out, it didn’t go well, but then he found out that thank God it didn’t work out, because there would have been troubles later. And it often happened that everything worked out, and he gave away a fifth. He helps a lot. He has a special book in which he writes down all his earnings. And he usually gives a tenth and sometimes 20%. This is what money is all about.
What kind of tree is this that will fall? Metsudat David writes this: “When the clouds are filled with these rains, just as when a person is filled with wealth, he should not retain it only for himself, but he should also influence other people, give it to others. Thus, if he needs more, God will give to him, and others will give to him. Everyone loves a person who gives and that’s very important.”
He says this about the tree: this is not said about the tree, but this is said about the righteous man. The righteous person in the Torah is compared many times to a tree.
There was Job, and he is compared to a tree. The Psalms say, “He will be like a tree planted by a stream of water.” This is a righteous man, he will be like a palm tree that bears fruit - dates. Wherever this righteous man is, there will be a blessing. When there is a righteous person, you can come to him for a blessing and ask him a question. His blessing is very powerful.
When Rav Isaac Zilber was, blessed is the memory of the righteous, everyone came to him for a blessing. People recovered. The righteous has a very strong blessing. Now many people go to the graves of the righteous, but this, of course, is not the same as visiting a living righteous person.
There is one famous story that there was one very rich man, a righteous man. He tried to do everything, gave tzedakah. He lived in a small town. He built a Synagogue in this town, opened a school for boys, a school for girls, and a nursing home. He helped a lot.
And then he heard that a very large righteous man was passing by. This story happened before the revolution. He came to this larger city. He came to him, asked for a blessing and said: come to us, we have never had a righteous person in our city.
He agreed, came to his city, and stayed in his house. I spent Saturday in the Synagogue; all the Jews in this city were happy that such a righteous man had come.
The next day he was supposed to be leaving. He was sleeping at night and suddenly woke up. He opens his eyes, looks, and the rich Jew who invited him is standing over him with an ax and is going to kill him. The righteous man says: what are you doing? He answers: what am I doing? Now I won't do anything. It’s one thing to kill a man while he’s asleep, and another thing to kill him when he’s awake.
And he says: why did you want to kill me? He says: you see, you know how much I love our city, how important this is to me. We have everything in the city for Jewish life. Only there is no grave of the righteous. I wanted to make a grave of the righteous in the city so that everything would be perfect.
This is, of course, a joke. But the grave of a righteous man greatly influences the spiritual state of people. People come to the grave of the righteous man, remember how he lived for other people and how many good deeds he did, what miracles he performed. And through the righteous, memories of him join thoughts of G-d, they are awakened to greater service.
Thinking about this righteous man, you cannot pray to him. A righteous person can no longer do anything after death; only G‑d rules the world. But to his credit, you can ask God: do you remember how he prayed for us, how important it was to him. That is, they ask precisely for the merit of the righteous. They don’t ask a righteous person to do something, G‑d does everything. But, thinking about him, remembering him, a person awakens more to serving G‑d, he becomes better.
How does prayer change things? After all, how can a person ask G-d for something?
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt became the author of a social structure that was progressive for his time - the House of Diligence, where people who had not found a use for themselves in public life, who were spiritually and physically devastated, received shelter and the opportunity to work.
The legacy of Father John is by no means forgotten today. The House of Industriousness of the St. Elisabeth Monastery, created with the blessing of the confessor of the monastery, Father Andrei Lemeshonok, retained the main principle of such institutions - service to one's neighbor. It is symbolic that the head of the House of Diligence became a mother named after the Italian martyr Chionia, who was left an orphan at a young age.
“It all starts with my father’s dream”
— Any undertaking in our monastery always begins with the priest’s dream. Father Andrei, like once his heavenly patron Apostle Andrew the First-Called, dreams of bringing as many people as possible to God, says mother Khionia (Efimova). — The foundation, which had stood in this place for a long time, was overgrown with grass. And the priest, driving by, prayed: “How nice it would be if there was such a house here where people who had no place in the world could get a job, work and learn about God - disabled people, people with various social and spiritual problems ..." And the Lord fulfilled his dream.
The Apostle says: God has chosen the base things of the world and the base things and the things that are not (1 Cor. 1:28). We talked for a long time with Mother Chionia about how true the apostle’s statement is regarding the House of Diligence and how work helps in the socialization and rehabilitation of people.
“Perhaps the most important thing in the House of Diligence is that people who come here find the meaning of life, understanding it as the salvation of the soul. And each of them is brought by the Lord Himself, I am convinced of this.
We employ different people. There are also specialists: beginners and experienced. But since from the very first day of the founding of the monastery, the main idea, the platform of the monastery was helping our neighbors, the weak, we try to help just such people. Spiritual weakness generally applies to everyone, therefore, when speaking about weakness, I mean first of all physical weakness. People with various pathologies come to us: developmental delays, severe chronic diseases, physical and mental disabilities. The house of industriousness, thus, becomes the only place where such people can find themselves in work. After all, the bar in the world is very high.
I am convinced that it is for their work and prayers that the Lord covers all our shortcomings with His strong Hand. And as long as the monastery helps the suffering, it will live and develop.
Improve your life and get your daughter back
It turned out that the workshops of the House of Diligence also employ people who have gone through serious life upheavals, through prison. According to Khionia’s mother, the basis for the rehabilitation and socialization of such people is building warm, trusting relationships, when a person is treated with understanding, does not put a stigma on him, but, supporting him in every possible way, gives him a chance.
Mother Khionia remembers Vasilisa, who went through a correctional facility due to drug problems. She has a daughter, but Vasilisa was deprived of parental rights. One day, Vasilisa’s grandmother called Khionia’s mother and, with despair in her voice, asked to take her granddaughter to work. Today Vasilisa is organizing her life and dreams of taking her daughter.
“She is eager to be reunited with her daughter.” You should have seen her shining eyes! This is what it means for a person to have found God. They say that eyes are a reflection of the soul, so it’s even painful to look into Vasilisa’s eyes (smiles). She confessed to us for the first time and received communion. God forbid she should not go astray from this path!
There are many such stories of transformation. A person renounces his criminal past, begins to live like a Christian, participates in the sacraments, and starts a family. Everything is becoming better. By finding God, a person also finds the meaning of existence. He has a different experience. Realizing that nothing will work without the Lord, he builds his life on Christian foundations.
The only specialist who is always nearby is the Lord
Mother Khionia says that obedience to the head of the House of Diligence fell on her like a bolt from the blue. The awareness of the colossal responsibility did not allow me to come to my senses for a long time. Mother Chionia experienced the grief of an internal struggle with God, disagreement with His decision. But every time, talking with my spiritual father and consulting with other people, I received the same answer: “Do what you can.” Now she perceives these words as God’s formula.
Apparently, this is why the workshops located on three floors of the House of Diligence no longer have enough space. Ceramic, sewing, gold embroidery, icon painting, stone - this is where products made with soul and prayer appear. Soft toys are also made here and nesting dolls are painted. And in the spring, an office for social assistance to people with mental illnesses, “Dobrodel,” appeared.
The working day always begins with prayer, and a conciliar prayer. Workshop employees read the morning rule, memorials for each other, a prayer for unity, and petitions to the saints. The units take on additional prayer work - akathists are read together.
“Work within the walls of the monastery is always accompanied by prayer. I’m not a great prayer book, but I realized a long time ago: without God, on your own, you can’t do anything,” Mother Chionia shares her experience. “Every day, tasks appear that make you feel lost and give in.” Who should I run to? The only specialist who is always nearby is the Lord.
Here comes a crooked line, and you are already asking: “Lord, help.” We try to ensure that each product is of the highest quality: stitch by stitch, line by line. And in order not to redo it several times, the seamstress, anticipating difficulties (do you know how velvet slips under the foot?), begins to ask God for help. Thus, in addition to the conciliar prayer, everyone also performs personal prayer in their place.
Unity of opposites
Watching the employees of the workshops of the House of Diligence, I suddenly remembered the words of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), who said that through unity great salvation is born. But how can you maintain closeness, acceptance of each other, understanding, if very different people come here in such numbers?.. Many of them really have a broken destiny, a soul warped by sin, and certainly each with their own character and ideas about justice... I share his thoughts with his mother Chionia.
“As Father teaches us, the beauty of unity lies precisely in the fact that it is made up of different people,” mother answers. “This doesn’t happen, and God doesn’t need everyone to be the same.” A person is in constant motion throughout the day, external and internal, depending on his mood, situation, even physical condition. Yesterday I was depressed, but the Lord consoled me, and today I am cheerful and happy.
There is an expression: “unity of opposites.” The direct spiritual meaning is expressed here: if we learn to combine with each other in our differences, when opposites do not compete, but complement each other, then unity arises.
As the priest says, spirituality is when one weak person cannot come to the service today, and another strong one prays both for himself and for him. Don’t blame your sister for sleeping, but come over, cover her with a blanket, straighten her pillow and pray for her.
When we accept each other with all our inabilities and weaknesses and, in the words of the apostle, “bear one another’s weaknesses,” then true unity and the true love of God are born.
Who do people help?
Outside the window of the House of Diligence, construction has begun - a new building is being erected. When I looked at the working equipment and people, a story about the Monk Moses of Optina came to mind: the brothers grumbled at him in response to the construction of a new hotel, they say, not a penny in the treasury. But the monk started the construction project solely for the sake of the people: the laity got jobs and fed their families.
So it turns out that the loftiest idea can be distorted and discredited. As a rule, people do not want to delve into and understand before criticizing. That is why we decided to find out what the most important goal of such a wide activity of the monastery is and who people actually help by buying monastic products.
“First of all, people help those who work here,” Mother Khionia answers the question. — Just imagine, our employee sewed five baptismal sets. The product contains her prayer, which will go on to someone’s family, because new Christians have entered the world. The sacrifice of their loved ones is returned to the monastery, invested in construction, in payment for human labor. This is how the cycle of goodness occurs in nature.
The temple that is being built by the world stands strong. Our monastery is built in exactly this way - by peace. The workshops provide jobs for people who will never find work in the world. And this is the main spiritual idea of the monastery: to attract as many people as possible, to bring them to God.
You have to dare! Father says that you can always find a solution in God. Yes, it's hard, it's hard. But the Lord leads us through trials for our spiritual maturation and strengthening, because only then do we begin to truly pray. And in response to our prayers, God's help always comes.