והעמידו תלמידים הרבה...
(Avos 1:1) Develop many disciples...
This piece of advice is practical for a Rabbi or Rebbi. How does it apply to a person who spends his days in the workforce or even a fellow learning in Kollel? How are they expected to find disciples to teach and develop? The same question can be asked regarding our impassioned entreaty in birchos Krias Shema where we ask Hashem to give us insight, "to understand, comprehend, hear, learn and teach." Who exactly is the average Jew expecting to teach that should warrant his praying to this end on a daily basis?
There are two practical ways for every person to fulfill this dictum of the Anshei Kenesses HaGedolah; one passively and the other actively. We will first discuss the passive mode of teaching. Even without doing anything out of the ordinary a person has the ability to teach others, since his actions speak volumes.
The story is related of a Jew in Haifa who passed by a billboard and instinctively turned his head so as not to behold an indecent picture. He then quickly made his way into the nearby Beis Hamedrash. A nonreligious fellow Jew beheld the sight and was stunned by the man's reflex reaction. "How could it be that I live for staring at these indecent sights, and here is someone who has no interest in them at all? It must be that what he has, gives him even greater pleasure than staring at the billboard" he mused. He followed the man into the Beis Hamedrash; a move which turned out to be the first step in the process of turning around his life and becoming religious.
Did the Jew know that by not looking at the billboard he was teaching someone? No. He did not know then and, quite possibly, he will not find out until he reaches the Heavenly Tribunal and they reward him for causing a fellow Jew to return to his Maker. All the mitzvos done by this Baal Teshuva and his offspring will be credited (to a certain extent) to the account of this unassuming fine Yid. Rav Wolbe (Alei Shur vol. II p. 201) relates a similar story of a man who was inspired to become religious due to the cheerful smile and good morning wishes offered to him daily by the only religious man in his community.
The truth is that behaving in a way that teaches others the beauty of the ways of the Torah is the ultimate achievement. As mentioned in the final mishna in Pirkei Avos, everything in the world was created to give glory to Hashem. Accordingly, man was placed in this world with a mission of enhancing Hashem's glory on Earth. When someone observes a person who behaves in a refined manner, he perceives in his behavior an expression of godliness that reveals the Creator of the world. Chazal relate a case in point:
Rebbi Shimon ben Shatach once bought a donkey from an Arab. After bringing it home, his disciples noticed a precious gem hanging from its neck and they happily informed their Rebbi about the tremendous blessing that Hashem bestowed upon him. Rebbi Shimon ben Shatach responded, "I bought a donkey, not a precious gem" and proceeded to return the gem to the donkey's original owner. When the gem was returned to the original owner the Arab exclaimed, "Blessed is the G-d of Shimon ben Shatach!" (Devarim Rabbah 3:3)
Why did the Arab bless Hashem? Shimon ben Shatach was the one who returned the stone to the Arab and he should have been the one to get the credit? The answer is that his actions revealed the Creator, because such a deed could only have been executed if there is a Creator to Whom Shimon ben Shatach was totally committed.
Indeed, each and every one of us is a teacher. We teach via the way that we behave in our house, in our shul and in the office. This mishna is instructing us to act in a way that has the ability to produce many disciples. One's behavior should exude spiritual refinement to the point that people will be able to recognize the Creator through his actions.
Ask yourself and answer: Is my behavior at home a good example for my children? Are my attendance at davening and my learning sessions a model for those looking to grow in their avodas Hashem? Has my conduct in the workplace enhanced Hashem's glory in the eyes of my colleagues? Does the way that I walk down the street or drive my car prompt people to exclaim (see Yoma 86a), "Praiseworthy is his Rebbi who taught him Torah?"
Important Numbers
