Shimon Hatzadik was the High Priest during the period of the second Temple, and was a contemporary of Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BCE. The Talmud relates the dramatic scene of the meeting of the two at the gates of Jerusalem, where Alexander descended from his horse and bowed to Shimon Hatzadik.

He explained his action in the following manner. Before embarking on his mission to conquer the Persian empire to avenge the death of his father, Philip, an image of a white robed man appeared to him in a dream, directing him to proceed, and he would be successful.

With all his successes, he now was ready to conquer Israel. The scholars of the period decided it was best to make peace with Alexander and pay him homage, and accordingly they proceeded to meet him in the night at his camp outside the walls of Jerusalem. The High Priest Shimon adorned himself in the white Priestly attire and with a line of lighted torches, led the procession out. Upon seeing this stately man Alexander recognized him as the man in his dream...and felt the his success was due to the Priest's directive.

Alexander was welcomed into Jerusalem and accorded the honor of having every Jewish child born that year to be named after him, Alexander. Alexander was a wise and judicious ruler. As a student of Aristotle, he appreciated scholarship and accorded his new conquest, Judea, complete freedom of worship and the freedom to live in accordance with the Torah. Only an annual tribute was the requirement.

THE UNIVERSE STANDS ON TORAH

You can't have a building stand if it violates every rule of an architect's plan and sound engineering design, and you can't have a building function properly if it lacks heat, water, sewer and electric power. It may function for a while on momentum, but then it stops.

The Midrash tells us that the Torah was created by Hashem 2000 years before the universe was and that G-d looked into the Torah and created the universe. The significance of this statement lies in the fact that the Torah served as an architect's plan to determine on what principle the world would stand.

What are those principles?

Today we are all familiar with the physical ecology of the world. We know that much of our acts destroy the world and ourselves. We see how we deplete the ozone and how DDT destroys our lives. There is also a moral ecology, and the function of Torah is to emphasize that we also destroy the world when we undermine the basic foundations of its structure.

So the world stands on Torah!

ON SERVICE...

With the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, this form of offering ceased. The Torah specifically limited these offerings to the Temple, and nowhere else. In its place a different type of offering, one which already existed, to be sure, gained prominence. That was “avodah sh'be'lev” – service in the heart, or prayer. But one must understand that the foundation for offerings is the same in both instances... acknowledging our benefactor, G-d.

This is called “hakaras ha'tov” acknowledging the good that one does for you. Our lives are constantly a gift from G-d, our sustenance is continually a blessing from Hashem. Is there anyone who receives some good from another and would not pay for it with a simple “thank you,” or in the case of an impersonal deal, with payment of money, goods, or services? That person is an ingrate!

It is so innate that even an untutored child will smile when given something he wants. That too is an acknowledgment. How piqued do we get when you have extended yourself to someone you care and love and they forget to show appreciation!

Appreciation is an extension of one's self. This is the foundation of the offerings of all mankind to G-d. It is ironic to think of many of the ancients who worshiped idolatry as being primitive, while many of our cultured contemporaries are considered advanced when they question the existence of a Creator and Benefactor, G-d. It is said that the ancients, with all their idolatry were more humane than some of our moderns; they expressed their appreciation to a Power for what they knew were the bounties of life. Their problem was they had too much appreciation. They expressed it to trees, fish, stars, moon, sun etc. They were well meant... but, misguided. Like Einstein, who uncovered a unified field theory of the universe, Torah taught the Jew that there is ONE creator of all existence, and that everything else were manifestations of His handiwork, and serving His purposes.

So, the second foundation of the universe is AVODA, service... appreciation.

GEMILAS CHASADIM – Acts of Kindness

So the third foundation on which the universe stands is... acts of kindness.