Still filming, she begins to look around our yard. “Oh my goodness, our fence is fixed.” “Oh my goodness, our trees got cut.” “Oh my goodness, our door got painted.” And then she looks back into the camera, breaks into a radiant smile, and says, with absolute conviction, “I guess it’s true. A smile can change the world.”

Watching that video just then felt like more than coincidence. It felt like a message. As if Esti herself was reminding us, exactly when we needed it most, of something so simple, something so holy, and something enduring: the quiet power of a smile.

Esti was always smiling. She was happy, fun, and funny. And somehow, even as a child, she understood something profound: that a smile doesn’t just reflect joy, it creates it. That it has the power to soften pain, to lift spirits, to quietly change another person’s day, or even their world.

After Esti’s shivah, we received many letters. One came from a child life specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Esti was treated. These remarkable young women walked Esti through procedures, fear, and discomfort, using kindness, creativity, and love to help her feel safe.

One of them, Claudia, wrote something I will never forget. She described playing a question game with Esti, learning who she really was. One question was, “What do you want a stranger to know about you?”

Esti’s answer was simple: “I want a stranger to know that I am a kind person.”

I have read that line over and over again. And every time, it stops me. I am struck not only by its simplicity, but by its depth. So many children want to be known for what they can do, for being smart, talented, athletic, or successful. Esti didn’t want to be known for what she could do. She wanted to be known for who she was. She just wanted to be kind.

We complicate life so much. We chase recognition, achievement, validation. And yet, at its core, the Torah keeps whispering the same, simple message: Be kind, be gentle, and smile at another human being.

R

av Shlomo Hoffman once asked his rebbi, Rav Isaac Sher ztz”l, why yeshivah students were constantly encouraged to do more chesed. “How are we supposed to do chesed when we have no money?”

Rav Sher responded, “You think you need money to do chesed? There are thousands of opportunities every single day.”

He explained that the Gemara in Kesubos teaches something astonishing: Greeting a person with a smile is even greater than giving them a drink on a hot day.

Then Rav Sher continued with words that feel truer than ever: “Sharing a smile costs you absolutely nothing, and yet it is one of the most powerful acts of chesed. If you want to cultivate love among Jews, start by smiling at one another.”

The greatest gift you can give someone costs you nothing at all.

Pirkei Avos teaches that we should greet every person with a pleasant face. The Tiferes Yisrael explains that smiling increases love between people, and that the one who smiles gains as well, because there is no greater success than being loved and respected by others.

If we want to reduce division within Klal Yisrael and if we want to strengthen ahavas Yisrael, we don’t need grand gestures. We can start small.

We can start with a smile.

Because a smile doesn’t just change your mood. It changes the atmosphere. It’s contagious. It softens hearts. It creates connection. It reminds people that they matter.

Each of us can bring light into the world without spending a single penny.

Sometimes all it takes is a smile, a compliment, or a moment of warmth. These small acts can literally change another person’s world.

Esti wanted a stranger to know that she was kind. The way we smile at others is how we make sure the world remembers her that way, too.

L’illui nishmas Esther Tehila bas Rav Gavriel Pinchas

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1098)