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The answer is as poignant as it is surpassingly beautiful: When righteous people leave this world, they don't die and disappear into the ground, and on obituary pages. Instead, they are "gathered unto their people." They are then engraved into the hearts of the people they touched and into the souls of the people they inspired. Their good deeds are then gathered unto their people, and there, they remain forever alive.
Rabbi Allouche
It is an astonishing description; one that sends shivers down our
spine.
After a life filled with trials and tribulations, Jacob prepares for his death
meticulously. First, he blesses his grandchildren. Then, he calls each of his
children and blesses them too with words that will shape their destiny.
And then, in the words of our Torah, Jacob ” drew his feet up into the bed, expired, and was gathered unto his people.” But what does it mean that he was “gathered unto his people”? Why can’t the verse simply state the obvious that Jacob “died,” or at least, “passed away”?
The answer is as poignant as it is surpassingly beautiful: When righteous
people leave this world, they don’t die and disappear into the ground, and on
obituary pages. Instead, they are “gathered unto their people.”
They are then engraved into the hearts of the people they touched and into the
souls of the people they inspired. Their good deeds are then gathered unto
their people, and there, they remain forever alive.
The famed British Jewish philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore was once asked by
a simpleton “how much he was worth.”
“I am worth forty thousand pounds,” Montefiore replied.
The simpleton was amazed, and he exclaimed: “I thought you were worth so
much more!”
Montefiore smiled and responded: “I do possess millions. But you asked me
how much I am worth. And since forty thousand pounds represents the sum I
distributed during the last year to various charities, I regard this sum as the
barometer of my true worth. For it is not how much a person possesses, but how
much he is willing to give and to share that determines his real worth.”
Montefiore’s words are resoundingly true. Indeed, our true worth lies in our
actions of kindness; not in our bank accounts. It is the goodness that we do,
the help that we offer, the charity that we give, and the joy that we infuse in
people, that will determine our true worth, not just in the present tense, but
for eternity. For after our death, we are “gathered into our people.”
And then, our only personal worth that remains is the positive influence and
impact we made on others and on the world around us.
Jacob’s worth is immense and eternal. But today, and every day, we must also
ask ourselves: what will be our real worth? After 120 years, will we too be
“gathered unto the people”?