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When Rav Dovid Luria went on trial in Russia, falsely accused of treason for sending money to Palestine, under Turkish rule, the death penalty was lurking in the background. When the judges deliberated, they did so in French because no one else in the courtroom understood. Or so they thought. Rav Dovid Luria did know French, so he put his fingers in his ears to block out their conversation. To listen in without them knowing would be geneivas da’as, he felt. The judges demanded an explanation for his strange behavior. When they heard it, they freed him immediately. They said it’s impossible for someone with that level of commitment to truth to be guilty of treason. (emes, gnaivas daas) (Impact Volume Two)
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A Jew approached the Satmar Rebbe and told him that his wife had become seriously ill and that in addition, his children were handicapped. The man said that he had huge medical expenses that he was unable to meet. The Rebbe heard all this with tears streaming from his eyes. He took all the money in his possession, and gave it to the petitioner. He did not stop there. He asked the Rebbetzin to lend him all the money she had available and also took loans from other people who were then in the house. When his main attendant, Reb Yossel Ashkenazi, arrived at the Rebbe’s house and heard the story, he said, “This man deceived you. He is a well-known trickster; his wife and children are perfectly healthy and they lack nothing…” As the Rebbe listened to this, his pained expression gave way to one of great joy. “Oh, thank you so much for telling me that! How happy I am that his wife and children are healthy,” he said. “You have no idea how upset I was when I heard him tell me how sick they were . (cheat, tzedaka, lend) (In Their Shadow Volume Three)
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A talmid of Slutzk recalls, “In 5677 (1917) I was twelve years old and was admitted to Yeshivas Slutzk. Due to my young age my father, asked Rav Isser Zalman to hire one of the best students to tutor me, for fair pay of course. This was necessary in order for me to reach the level most of the students were on. The Rosh Yeshivah suggested to my father one of the best young scholars, Elazar Man Shach. My father agreed and I started studying with him. After a period of time my father came to pay him as previously agreed. To his surprise, the young man refused to accept the money. ‘It is true that I agreed to tutor your son,’ he said, ‘in order to help him to achieve, a higher level of study. But it was a mistaken transaction. Your son does not need me or any tutor. He is advancing to higher levels on his own, so no payment is due. “My father did not know what to do. He consulted Rav Isser Zalman, who was also at a loss as to how to persuade his student to accept the money. He went to Rav Aharon Kotler, who was then teaching in the yeshivah, and asked for his advice. Rav Aharon had a brilliant idea. He told Reb Elazar Man, ‘If the boy is really gifted and does not need you to advance in his studies then let us test him. We will ask him to prepare the Tosafos in Bum Kama, page 77a (a particularly difficult, long passage). If he is able to study it properly in a given amount of time, ‘ then you are right. But if he can’t, that means that he needs your assistance and you deserve payment for your tutoring.’ “Reb Elazar Man agreed to the trial, and I was asked to study the tough Tosafos on my own. Being so young, I didn’t grasp Rav Aharon’s intention, and I took the challenge seriously. I struggled through the passage, putting tremendous effort into it, and when the Rosh Yeshivah tested me I knew it well. Reb Elazar Man’s face beamed when he heard me. He was obviously delighted in be proven right. Needless to say, he refused to take money from my father despite his poverty.” Path to Greatness by Rabbi Asher Bergman, Published by Feldheim, page 146 (cheat)
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Rav Eliyahu Dushnitzer had a son who moved from Eretz Yisrael to America. Wishing to provide his father with some form of income, he gave him an orange grove in Ramat Hasharon. Shortly thereafter, however, the citrus industry went into an economic crisis and many growers were forced into bankruptcy. Not only did the grove not produce income, it incurred large deficits. Rav Eliyahu was utterly distressed, constantly worrying that if his time should come to depart from this world, he will have left over debts. This prospect troubled him greatly, since the Sages term a deadbeat debtor a rasha, a wicked man. What then could be the solution to his grave problem? To Rav Eliyahu, the answer was simple enough: Turn to Father and ask him to resolve his predicament. And that’s exactly what he did. He pleaded to Hashem, our Father in heaven. ln addition, whoever came in contact with him was asked to pray on his behalf. One of his students, upon leaving his studies at the kollel, entered the field of real estate. Aware of Rav Eliyahu’s problem, the student found the ideal buyer for the grove, a well-to-do American who had expressed great interest in buying some agricultural property in Erelz Yisrael. He arranged a meeting between the prospective buyer and Rav Eliyahu, and all three took a bus from Petach Tikvah to Ramat Hasharon to inspect the orchard. No sooner had they started the trip than Rav Eliyahu turned to the American with a solemn expression and said, “l wish to perform the great mitzuah of not to deceive a customer. l therefore want to inform you of the orchard’s various shortcomings. Several trees have become insect infested. Others dried up or have rotted away. Also, in some places, the soil has developed ditches and pits due to neglect. In short, from an economic standpoint, the grove at present is truly problematic.” Rav Eliyahu then proceeded to coach the man in what he understood to be good business sense. “lf your objective is to buy the property for investment purposes and return overseas, l must share with you what our Sages have advised: ‘If one wishes to lose his money he should hire workers and not be with them.’ ln short, absentee management is a prescription for financial disaster. So if your plan is to return to America and to manage it from afar, it is not a wise investment.” The prospective buyer listened attentively but did not seem overly concerned, continuing to show interest in the orchard. When they finally arrived at the site, Rav Eliyahu again turned to the man and said: “Our Sages have said that there is no comparison between actually seeing something to having merely heard about it. Now that we are here, l wish to take you on a guided tour and point out every decayed tree, all of the insect-infested trees, as well as the pits and ditches.” Surprisingly, despite having seen all the negative aspects of the grove, the prospective buyer still did not seem to be dissuaded from the sale. During the conversation, the man took some pills and a small container of water out of his pocket and gulped down the pills. He explained that he suffered from a heart problem and must take medication regularly. The man barely had a chance to conclude his sentence when Rav Eliyahu declared in no uncertain terms that he was retracting his offer. He was adamant that under no circumstances was he ready to sell the property to him. The man was shocked, not comprehending the sudden change of heart on the part of Rav Eliyahu. “Kindly explain this to me,” he asked Rav Eliyahu in a state of disbelief. “l heard everything you had to say, including all the drawbacks of the property, and yet l am interested. Why then the sudden retraction?” “l am truly sorry for all the bother and inconvenience l caused you in traveling here in vain,” Rav Eliyahu said apologetically. “However, l just realized that the Torah does not allow me to proceed with the sale. Let me explain. As soon as l became aware that you have a heart problem, l realized that you are not fit for the laborious, backbreaking work of agriculture. You will therefore have to employ farmhands to assist you, and your primary function will be management. The fact is that the grove is much too small to support a full-time manager, and the result will be absentee management. This l cannot allow under any circumstances, as our Sages have ruled that it is a sure way to lose one’s money.” As expected, the deal did not go through. The American returned to the United States and Rav Eliyahu returned to continued losses from his orange grove. Several days passed and Rav Eliyahu happened to meet one of his favorite former students, the venerable Maggid of Yerushalayim, Harav Sholom Shwadron. “l have a special request for you, dear Reb Sholom,” he said. “Were you not someone very close to me, l would feel uncomfortable asking it of you. You‘re surely aware of all the aggravation l’ve been having from my orange grove in Ramat Hasharon, and the great deficits it is incurring. May l ask that when you return to Yerushalayim you visit a certain friend of yours who studied alongside you at the yeshivah in Petach Tikvah? “This friend has established a Talmud Torah in Yerushalayim. Some time ago l met him and poured out my heart to him in regard to this grove. l asked him to recite several chapters of Tehillim in my behalf with the schoolchildren every day after their studies.” Reb Sholom noticed that at this point his rebbe began speaking haltingly, not ready to express his true feelings. Seemingly, Rav Eliyahu wished to say something about the founder of the Talmud Torah, but could not find the appropriate words, as he did not want to infer even the faintest expression of disappointment. At last, Rav Eliyahu did find the correct words. “You know, Reb Sholom, your friend is such a busy person — carrying the responsibility for both the educational and budgetary needs of his Talmud Torah — as well as his myriad chased activities. lt is no surprise that he overlooked my request regarding reciting Tehillim with the children. Please, Rav Sholom, when you arrive in Yerushalayim, kindly approach him and encourage him on my behalf.” “l beg the rebbe’s forgiveness, Rav Sholom said, “but how are you so sure that my friend actually forgot about the Tehillim?” “That’s obvious,” Rav Eliyahu replied with absolute conviction. “The fact is that thus far l have been unsuccessful in finding the proper buyer for the property. Llnquestionably, the only factor missing is the sincere prayers of the tinokos she! beis rabban, the precious Talmud Torah children.” Immediately upon arriving in Yerushalayim, Rav Sholom rushed to the Talmud Torah and met his friend just as he was hurrying from the school. Rav Sholom related his encounter with their rebbe and the conversation that ensued. His friend apologetically admitted that he did indeed forget about Rav Eliyahu and his orange grove and had not implemented the request for Tehillim. Although he was late for an appointment, he immediately turned back, gathered the children and recited several chapters of Tehillim with them. ln less than a week, Rav Eliyahu successfully sold the property to a skilled farmer who found all the orange grove’s problems to be minor and easily correctable. He paid full market price for it, enabling Rav Eliyahu to repay all his outstanding obligations. This good fortune did not surprise Rav Eliyahu at all. He had never doubted the power of Tehillim from the mouths of the holy children of Yerushalayim. (Noble Lives Noble Deeds 1) (onas mamon, tefilla)
