Toras Avigdor Junior
Parshas Emor
Making Kiddush!
The Greenbaum Family excitedly arrived at Ziggy Zaga’s Kosher Karnival. It was the best frum event a family could attend. This year, every single one of the rides had a theme relating to a different sha’ar in the Chovos Halevavos.
The seats on the Bechina Ferris Wheel were decorated according to the many amazing things Hashem does for us. The Kniah Slide was a narrow tube which you could only fit into if you bent down to show how humble we must be in front of Hashem. And the Bitachon Roller Coaster made you feel like you were going to fly off of the edge of the track – the only way to make it to the end without screaming in fear was to have full trust in Hashem that you would survive the ride in one piece!
Yitzy and Shimmy were skipping happily as they headed towards the entrance, while Basya walked with her eyes in the sky, watching the “Cheshbon Hanefesh” hot air balloons floating by in the air. It looked like the best Kosher Karnival yet!
Just then, a gust of wind blew the hat off of a man in front of them. Quickly, Yitzy ran forward to pick it up and hand it back to him.
“Thank you so much!” said the man in an oddly familiar voice, as he placed the hat back on his head. “What you just did was a tremendous Kiddush Hashem!”
“Wait a second,” said Basya suddenly. “There’s a big ‘Pei’ on your hat. You’re Uncle Pinky!”
“No way!” said Yitzy and Shimmy together. “The famous Uncle Pinky who teaches Jewish boys and girls all about chessed and midos?”
“Boodle-bee – that’s me!” Uncle Pinky said with a huge smile.
“Wait a minute, aren’t you the Greenbaum family who gave me a ride to the Karnival two years ago when my car broke down on the highway?” (Read the story in the newly published book “Toras Avigdor jr.” Parshas Devarim).
“That’s us!” the Greenbaums all replied at the same time with a smile.
“Well, thanks again!” said Uncle Pinky. “I have to go prepare for the show I’m performing in soon. I hope to see you there!”
“Wait, Uncle Pinky, can I ask you a question?” asked Shimmy.
“Sure,” said Uncle Pinky, the huge smile still on his face.
“There are only frum Yidden here.” Shimmy said. “So why did you say that we did a Kiddush Hashem by returning your hat?”
“Yeah, and we didn’t even bring any wine to make Kiddush!” Little Yaeli added.
“You don’t need wine to make a Kiddush Hashem,” Uncle Pinky said warmly to little Yaeli. Turning to the boys, he continued. “And you can even make a Kiddush Hashem when there are only frum Yidden around. A Kiddush Hashem doesn’t depend only on what a goy thinks about Jews; it depends on what anybody thinks about Hashem!
“Don’t you kids love the Kosher Karnival? I’m sure you do because I can’t get enough of it and I’m already sixty years old. And wherever I go, I hear people talking about how great the Karnival is. Everyone is so impressed with Ziggy Zaga, the man who runs the Karnival, and how he makes it so different every year. Wherever I go, all I hear is, “Isn’t Ziggy great,” “Mr. Zaga is the best carnival maker in the world; we love him.”
“That’s the same way it works with the mitzvah of וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל in this week’s parsha. Just like every ride in the Kosher Karnival makes Mr. Zaga’s name greater and greater in the world, everything we frum Jews do can make Hashem’s name greater and greater.
“We are Hashem’s people, so everything we do and everything we say becomes attached to how people look at Hashem. Every Jewish boy and girl has the opportunity to give Hashem ‘a good name’ and to make people think well of Hashem.
“That’s why the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem is so important. We know that Hashem is so great and so perfect and so wonderful – after all, He made the whole world which is a billion, trillion, gazillion times better than Ziggy’s Karnival – but we want all people to think that way too. So the more perfect we act, the more people will think, “Wow! Look at those wonderful Jewish boys and girls! If they can be so good and so holy, can you imagine what their Hashem is like!”
“And now friends,” Uncle Pinky finished, “Dun diddly dun – I gotta run!”
“Thank you Uncle Pinky! Goodbye Uncle Pinky!!!”
Have A Wonderful Shabbos!
Takeaway: We are Hashem’s people and when we behave nicely, people compliment Hashem and speak nicely about Him, that’s what’s called a Kiddush Hashem.