רבי ישועה ללום, ליקוטי אהרן, דרשה י"ז
על כן התורה מצווה "לא תאמץ את לבבך ולא תקפץ את ידך", אם תקשה לבך ידך תיסגר שאז האצבעות שוות ואז תאמר לו לך תעבוד כמוני, אלא כי פתוח תפתח את ידך, ואז תראה האצבעות שיש בניהן גדולים וקטנים, כך ברא הקב"ה בבני האדם גדולים וקטנים וזה חי מזה.
And so the Torah commands us, "Do not harden your heart and do not close your hand" to the needy. If your heart hardens, your hand will close and you will see that your fingers are of equal length and then you will say to him (the poor person)-Go out and work like me! But do the opposite, open your hand and then you will see that your fingers are short and tall and this is how God created people, big and small, and this lives from that. [Translation by AVODAH]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1) What is the main message that Rabbi Lalum is trying to communicate through the metaphor of a hand with fingers of different lengths?
2) Why might a hardened heart lead to a “closed hand?”
3) How might you apply Rabbi Lalum’s teaching to social change work?
Time Period: Modern (Spinoza through post-WWII)