“Rich Pizza”
A Moral Dilemma for the Shabbos Table
By Rabbi Yitzi Weiner
This week’s Torah portion discusses the story of how Esav sold the right of the firstborn to Yaackov. Many commentaries discuss how the right of the firstborn can be sold. The Mizrachi says that this really could not be sold through a financial exchange and was only transferred because of Esav’s oath.
There is a mitzva in the Torah (See Sefer Hamitzvs Hakatzar Positive 67) to observe Kinyanim, the Torah’s modes of acquisition (Click HERE for inspirational stories I have collected about the mitzva of Kinyanim that you might like to share at your table.)
The following moral dilemma story involves a question about acquisition and purchase.
Seven friends were once spending time with each other. As lunch approached they decided to send someone to pick up a slice of pizza for each of them. Aliza, one of the friends, volunteered to pick up the pizza. Each friend gave Aliza money for one slice.
When Aliza arrived at the pizza store she saw a sign advertising a new promotion. For every pizza pie purchased, one will get a state scratch-it lotto ticket where one can win up to $5000. Aliza was given money for seven slices. Aliza decided to buy an additional slice and get a whole pie instead of seven slices. She used her own money for the difference in price. After she was given the pizza pie and the scratch- it lotto, she sat down and scratched the ticket.
To her great surprise, she saw that she won the $5000.
She returned to her friends and excitedly told them that she won . She told them that she used her own money to buy the whole pie and earned the ticket on her own.
“Whoa, do you mean to tell us that you used our money to buy that pie. Then we should split the $5000 equally into seven parts,” her friends argued.
“I don’t agree”, Aliza countered. “You would never have won the prize if I had ordered seven slices like you asked me to. I used my extra money for the additional slice and that is why I won. I should get the entire prize money himself.”
Who is right? Does Aliza get all of the winnings or just an a seventh?
On one hand without Aliza adding her own money, they never would have gotten any ticket.
On the other hand, she won with the aid of their money.
What do you think?
(If you need to know the answer to this dilemma before next week, or if you would like to be added to a list to receive the answers right away, feel free to email me at [email protected].)
Answer to last week’s moral dilemma:
(click here to review the question)
This story is discussed in Chashukei Chemed Bava Basra Page 355
There is a prohibition against castrating any animal. This includes spaying and neutering. In theory there is no prohibition to kill animals if they are causing harm to people.
However Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv did not permit them to kill the cats. He said that the residents should instead make sure to keep the doors closed and not feed them.
Rabbi Zilberstein conjectured that the reason why Rav Elyashiv didn’t permit the cats to be killed is because it would be Baal Tashchis, the prohibition against destroying any useful thing for no reason. He added that the stray cats had an important function by eliminating rodents and snakes.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
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