“And it was in those days and Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers, and saw their suffering.”(Shemot 2:11)
Rashi adds that Moshe made a special effort that his eyes should see and his heart should feel the suffering of the Israelites.
Rabbi Shmuelevitz used to say that our eyesight is the means by which you are able to feel for another person. Only by seeing we can arouse our empathy, like they say in Colombia “ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente”(eyes that don’t see, heart that doesn’t feel).
Rabbi Aryeh Levine Z’L, the Tzadik of Jerusalem used to stand at the doorway of his classroom and he would look at every child that would enter his classroom. Once his son asked him why he would stand at the entrance every day and look at each student intently? Rabbi Levine asked his son, “what do you see?” The son answered,”I see one that is eager to enter the classroom and learn, I see another one that looks bored, etc…” Rabbi Levine answered, “ I look at other things altogether, I see that boys pants are torn, that other boy has very worn shoes, I can see that other boy is very hungry, how will they be able to study?”
Rabbi Levine then did all he could to help those children who were suffering. (From the book “A Tzaddik in Our Time, pg 319)
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