I had a wonderful friend, Stuart, a thousand or so years ago while an undergraduate at Rutgers College who was an orthodox Jew in a very unorthodox world. We've lost sight of one another and I hope very seriously and sincerely that he is well and as happy as anyone can be a half-century onwards.
He was very devout in terms of following his religion's dietary customs and observing the holidays, precepts, et al but I loved him because he was a big teddy bear of a man who was always willing to help anyone at any time with anything.
The expression 'gives you the shirt off his back' was coined to describe his kindness and commitment and yet whenever he was asked about what was his reward for his generosity he would turn the question back on you and offer that the reward for doing a mitzvah, a good deed, should be the knowledge you have done one. No other reward was expected or required.
I thought of Stuart when I read about Louis Goffinet's situation with the Internal Revenue Service and the penalty/punishment he faces for efforts to help his neighbors most in need of assistance with no thought of personal reward or benefit. Somehow, there must be a way to resolve this; a mitzvah, if you will, to complement and somehow complete Louis' mitzvah.
-bill kenny
