Dealing Honestly (II)
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ב"ה למען ישמעו • יתרו תשפ"א • 604 EDITOR - RABBI SHIMON HELLINGER DEALING HONESTLY (II) MAKING A KIDDUSH HASHEM "Just as you are afraid of being punished for stealing, care for such a job, I would provide you with food so am I!" responded the other. "I sold the ruin to and drink and a place to sleep." Chazal explain that the mitzva to love HaShem you, including everything in it, from the depths of Baruch was overjoyed, for this was exactly what requires that a Yid should act in a way that makes the earth, until the sky!" Him beloved by others. When a person learns he had wanted. He was prepared to do the hardest Torah and deals honestly in business, people The king asked one man if he had a son, and the labor as long as he would earn his own piece of will say, "How great is he who learns Torah; how other, if he had a daughter. He advised that their bread, without having to rely on anyone's tzedaka, wonderful are his ways! Woe to one who does not children get married and the treasure be given to but asked to be paid with money, so he would not learn Torah! We promise that we too will now learn the new couple. Alexander looked on in amazement. have to eat and sleep in the homes of strangers. and teach our children Torah as well." But when "Didn't I judge well?" queried the King of Katzia. He worked conscientiously at the smithy throughout (chas veshalom) a person who learns Torah does not "Sure!" replied Alexander the Great. "But if I had the day, and in the evening, he would go to the beis act honestly, people will say the opposite, causing been the arbitrator, I would have killed them both, medrash to learn. And the more he observed Eliezer a chillul HaShem. and taken the treasure for the kingdom's coffers…" Reuven, the more did he respect him, for all day, The Rebbe explained that dealing honestly means as he stood hammering the red-hot iron, he would going even beyond the requirements of halacha. One recite Tehillim by heart, kapitl after kapitl. should do so also when dealing with goyim, thus CONSIDER The smith's customers were the peasants of the creating a kiddush HaShem. Why is a kiddush HaShem surrounding villages, who would bring their wagons and tools to be repaired. Baruch noticed )יומא פו ע"א, תו"מ תשמ"ד ח"ב ע' 612( specifically related the exceptional honesty and devotion with which The tanna, Rebbi Shimon ben Shetach, used to sell to going beyond the Eliezer Reuven treated his customers, never flax, which he would carry from place to place. overcharging them even a fraction of a cent. One Seeking to ease his work, his talmidim went off to the requirements of halacha? day in particular, Baruch noticed something which marketplace and bought him a donkey from an Arab made a deep impression on him. A peasant from a merchant. On their way home they noticed that he Is a kiddush HaShem more nearby village had brought his horse to the smith had accidentally left a valuable jewel hanging on important than the loss of for shoeing and at the same time he brought the the donkey's neck. Excitedly, they hurried to Rebbi money, or will no loss be wheel of his wagon to be fixed. Another peasant Shimon and told him that HaShem had sent a bracha had brought his horse to have four new shoes put and he would no longer have to work. incurred? on. When the time came to ask for the money, Eliezer Reuven mistakenly charged the second Rebbi Shimon asked, "Did the owner know about peasant the amount he should have charged the it?" "No," they replied. The King of Katzia then asked, "Does the sun shine first one, overcharging him six groshen. in your country?" "Yes," replied Alexander. "If so," he told them, "you must return it immediately, Both peasants had already left when Eliezer Reuven for he sold you a donkey and not a jewel." "Does it rain?" He nodded affirmatively. realized his mistake. He was so upset about it that he immediately set off on foot to this peasant's village When the goy received the gem, he exclaimed, "Do you have animals?" "Yes," he said. "Blessed is the G-d of Rebbi Shimon ben Shetach!" about three miles away, to give him back the tiny "Well, then," declared the King of Katzia, "the overcharged amount. Baruch was astounded. He sun shines and the rain falls in the merit of those had never seen such meticulousness on the part of )דברים רבה ג,ג, בשילוב ירושלמי בבא מציעא פ"ב ה"ה( animals." an ordinary person. He asked the smith if he really AT ALL COSTS thought it had been worthwhile to walk the six- )ויקרא רבה כז, א( Alexander the Great once visited the King of Katzia mile distance for a matter of a mere six groshen. to observe that country's laws and customs. Just When he was a lad of fourteen, Reb Baruch, the Eliezer Reuven replied, "About the people who then, two citizens were admitted to have their Alter Rebbe's father, left his hometown, Vitebsk, lived before the mabul, it is written that they were judgment rendered by the king. and traveled through many villages. Arriving in so corrupt that they were not even bothered when Dobromysl, he settled down to learn in the beis "My master, the King!" called out the plaintiff. robbing from someone less than a little prutah. medrash. One day, a man came over to him and "I bought a desolate piece of land from this man Would you really want me to behave even worse introduced himself, "My name is Eliezer Reuven, here, dug it up, and discovered a buried treasure. than the people of that wicked generation and rob and I have a smithy on the outskirts of town. I live So I told him to take the treasure; I bought a ruin, a man of six groshen?!" nearby, and I could use some help, so if you would )ספר הזכרונות ח"א ע' not a treasure!" )75 Personal and professional Wellspring PRESS tax services GOOD for businesses GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED www.SELLMILESNOW.com [email protected] | SHOMERCPA.COM 732-987-7765 [email protected] NEWS RABBI CHAIM HILLEL RASKIN ROV OF ANASH - PETACH TIKVA R. ZALMAN ZEZMER LAST MINUTE SHABBOS R. Zalman Zezmer was of the greatest a letter with Reb Zalman to R. Meir I forgot to turn on the hot water urn and it’s past chassidim of the Alter Rebbe. He was Refael’s asking him to accept the an incredible maskil, used by the young man and send him to Liozna. shkia. Anything I can do? )רשימ"ד החדש עמ' Rabbeim as a prime example for in- )235 On erev Shabbos, one must cease all melacha a little bit before depth understanding of Chassidus. sunset. After sunset, it is prohibited min haTorah to do any He travelled to many places to melacha since it may be considered night. Since, however, the teach Chassidus, and served as Rov The Alter Rebbe would recite Chassidus time of bein hashmashos until tzeis (three stars) has somewhat of in the town of Zezmer and later in for the older and newer Chassidim a doubtful status, and is considered an “extension” of Shabbos, Denenburg and Krislava, where he is separately, and was very particular Chazal permit rabbinic Shabbos prohibitions to be waived during buried. One of his talmidim was the that neither group should attend the this time for mitzva purposes, an urgent need, or a pressing esteemed chossid R. Hillel Paritcher. other’s Chassidus. R. Zalman, already Shabbos need even if not urgent.1 a seasoned chossid, wanted very much One may move muktza if needed,2 and one may place fully cooked to attend the “yungeh Chassidus.” He A number of factors brought R. food on the blech as long as there is no issue of bishul. One may asked his roommate in Liozna—a newer Zalman to Chassidus. One of them toivel utensils if he has no other utensils for Shabbos or establish chossid—to notify him when he is called was as follows: R. Binyamin Kletzker, an eruv chatzeiros to permit carrying in a shared area (but not an to a maamar so he could sneak in. That a great chossid of the Alter Rebbe, eruv techumin which is like an acquisition).3 afternoon R. Zalman was napping, once visited R. Zalman’s town for and when heard about the maamar, Asking a non-Jew to do a melacha for you is a rabbinic prohibition, Shabbos Zachor. As the parsha of he rushed out without washing neggel so in cases of urgent need (e.g. one forgot to turn on the hot Amalek was read from the Torah, Reb vasser. When the Alter Rebbe entered water urn), this method may be used during this time. If one Zalman noticed strong emotions of the room he fervently exclaimed, forgot to light Shabbos candles, a non-Jew can light one candle hate and disgust on R. Binyamin’s “What’s this? Without neggel vasser?!” and the Jewish woman can recite the bracha. A non-Jew may also face, something that he had never R. Zalman quickly escaped. be asked to light a yahrtzeit candle since people are conscientious witnessed before. R. Binyamin’s )רמ"ח אותיות אות פ"א( about this custom.4 davening also made a deep impression on him.