Good people do good things and it’s great when others know about it, because credit can be given where credit is due and others may be inspired to do more good as well.
However, Judaism teaches the value of goodness done without fanfare. Heroic acts of kindness done under the radar unnoticed by the greater public.
In this week’s parsha we learn about Moshe’s older sister Miriam and her legacy.
Throughout the forty years the Israelites journeyed in the desert G-d provided them with food from heaven, water from a rock and divine clouds to protect them from the elements. As they approached the borders of the Promised Land, Miriam passed away and suddenly the miraculous well of fresh water that flowed from the rock for 39 years dried up.
The distraught nation of several million strong found themselves in a desert without water, facing certain death. G-d instructed Moshe how to cause the miraculous well to resume flowing, but the brief halt revealed an astonishing fact about Israel’s survival for so many years in the parched desert: The miraculous well of life giving water was all in the merit of Miriam.
For thirty nine years, Miriam’s righteousness evoked G-d’s mercy for the Jewish people to provide them with much needed water for hydration and ritual purity. Nevertheless, during her lifetime this was unknown and unacknowledged. Only after her passing did the Israelites name this miraculous source of life “Miriam’s Well” which remains a cornerstone of her eternal legacy.
On the other hand, Miriam was accorded one of the most public honors bestowed on a mortal in the merit of one of her earliest achievements. In an earlier episode, Miriam mistakenly criticized Moshe’s behavior, in a private conversation with her brother Aharon. G-d punished her for this infraction with Tzaraat and she was forced to spend seven days outside of the Israelite Camp.
Despite the fact that her week-long banishment was a divine punishment, G-d halted the journey to Israel until she returned to her rightful spot in the camp. This was in tribute to the fact that when Moshe was three months old and his parents, fearing Pharaohs genocidal decree, were forced to abandon him on the Nile River, Miriam risked her life, waiting at the riverside for many hours to watch out for her baby brother. In kind, the Divine Presence and millions of people respectfully waited for her in her time of need.
Miriam’s story teaches us that we must strike a balance between these two extremes. Publicity is crucial to inspire others to follow suit, but it must never be the motivating factor of the good we do. Anonymity is necessary and nurtures personal humility, but erasing yourself from the public list of do-gooders is detrimental for the greater good.
When is doubt, keep this rule in mind: Publicity that will cause more good to happen is certainly appropriate - and then find something greater to do anonymously.