If you try to search for “World Kindness Day,” you’ll likely encounter two important things. First, that World Kindness Day is today, November 13th. Second, that Krispy Kreme will give you a dozen donuts for free in celebration of World Kindness Day.
Apparently, Krispy Kreme is the only one talking about this day that is dedicated to kindness, but I would argue that Krispy Kreme is doing something right. Especially this year.
In a time when it may feel like we are surrounded by constant hate, fear, and violence, a day focused on kindness feels especially necessary. In difficult times, Jewish wisdom reminds us of the importance of kindness in our lives, as in these two foundational texts. First the prophet Micah teaches:
הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה־טּוֹב וּמָה־יְהֹוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם־עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃
“You have been told, O mortal, what is good
And what Adonai requires of you:
Only to do justice
And to love goodness,
And to walk humbly with your God”
– Micah 6:8
And then, in Pirke Avot:
עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים…:
“…The world stands on three things: Torah, on sacred worship, and on the acts of loving kindness.
– Pirke Avot 1:2
These texts place a heavy emphasis on kindness. Pirkei Avot teaches that acts of loving kindness are on the same level as prayer and the Torah itself, while the prophet Micah shares that loving goodness, or acting with love, is a tenet of our faith boiled down to its essence. In our heaviest moments, such teachings can be hard to hear and sometimes harder to practice.
Tomorrow begins the Hebrew month of Kislev, in which we will begin our celebration of Hanukkah. As the days continue to get shorter, we know that the light of the Hanukkiyot will soon brighten our homes. When a candle shares its flame with another, the light of the first candle is not diminished in any way. When an individual expresses kindness toward another, both people increase in joy.
How can you share your light of kindness with others today?
– Rabbinic Intern Yael Farber