Our Parasha best known for teaching the laws of Shemita, the land sabbatical year. These teachings are fundamental to Jewish life, as they teach our total dependence on Hashem. A person’s priority, after his health is his livelihood, his Parnassa. Can you imagine telling someone stop working Hashem will provide, people will think that you seriously need a pill. However, Hashem requires all agricultural work to stop during the seventh year. The teachings are plentiful and important, though this happens only every seven years. There is another teaching far more important which occurs daily and several times a day. There are two verses pointing in the same direction: “When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.” [Vayikra 25:14]. Three Verses later it says; “Do not wrong one another but fear your God; for I am Hashem your God.” The language of the Verse is very casual and seems to state only the obvious. Who wants to wrong a friend? No one! Each person would argue how trustworthy they are, but it is based on self-made definitions. There is a lack of understanding the meaning of “to not wrong anyone” and to apply it even when it is at your disadvantage. Rashi is an eye opener to the stringency of this commandment. To hurt one’s feelings even with words is obviously forbidden, but even if one comes to ask you for guidance, you are prohibited to provide an advice that is not suitable to him. For example, you are a mortgage broker, and someone asks you if he should sell his house as he wants to purchase another property. You know that he may not qualify for the loan. However, you have family looking for a property in that area, you cannot entice him to sell. Fear Hashem as He knows your motives. Your friend entrusted you to provide him your best advice, but you proved yourself untrustworthy, and you deceived Hashem and him. The Talmud [Bava Metzia 58b] declares; Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: Greater is the transgression of verbal abuse than the transgression of monetary corruption, as only about verbal deception it is stated: “And you shall fear your God”, and not about monetary exploitation. Rabbi Elazar explains the reason: verbal mistreatment affects one’s body; but monetary exploitation affects one’s money. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says: the reason is since monetary exploitation is given to restitution; but verbal abuse is not given to restitution. The words of the Talmud are extremely powerful, as deceiving in business is not as stringent as verbal mistreatment. This is despite that monetary deception is complete dishonesty and most of the time categorized as stealing. Chazal warn that even deceiving out of pity is included in the prohibition. For example, if you pass by the market and see a seller without any buyer, it is misguided to to feel pity and approach him under the pretense you are a potential customer. The Talmud [Menachos 68b] describes the harshness of the punishment for the slightest verbal wrongdoing. It recounts that Rabbi Tarfon had a difficulty understanding a Mishna, so his student Yehuda Bar Nechemia stood up and provided an obvious explanation. Rabbi Akiva said to him: Yehuda, has your face brightened because you answered the elder? I will be astonished if the days of life will be lengthy. Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, said: this occurred two weeks before Passover. When I ascended to the Beth Hamikdash for the festival of Shavuos, I asked: Where is Yehuda bar Neḥemya? And was told: He passed away! The Arizal explains the reason of the stringency of the punishment; the deceiver indicates that he is not a believer! In contrary, he totally reneges the omnipresence of Hashem, otherwise he would have feared Hashem and not try to deceive. His actions state loudly there is no one that knows his true motives, in complete desecration of the most holy prayer that every believer says even when their life is brutally taken away from them: “Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad!” “God is One”, meaning that there is nothing else besides Hashem in the entire universe. Now, let’s ask again, who is honest and trustworthy? This should be our daily work, to better ourselves and become through and through honest and trustworthy, even if it means disregarding easy profits. The One that reads our thoughts will undoubtedly notice our actions!!! Here is a beautiful story how honesty saves: Reb Baruch Yosef Kozliner was a Torah teacher in Disna, Belarus. He had two sons, both of whom were students at the yeshivah in the town of Lubavitch. Besides his day job, he had another duty, one that he carried out secretly and with great devotion. In those days, the Czar’s army was no place for young Jewish men who wished to remain faithful to Torah. To save young men from spiritual destruction, Reb Baruch worked hand in hand with doctors, government officials and members of the nobility to have as many Yeshivah students as possible exempted from the draft. Obviously this work involved taking liberties with documents as well as quietly passing gifts into the hands of helpful officials—all of which was done with utmost secrecy. The Torah teacher worked very closely with staff members of the yeshivah in Lubavitch, who would send him the names of scholars in need of help, as well as funds to be distributed as he saw fit. Reb Baruch worked on behalf of the young scholars without ever accepting so much as a kopek. For him it was a sacred honor. This continued for some time. But then rumors reached Petersburg that all was not well in Disna, and government agents were dispatched to investigate. The sudden appearance of the officials in Disna         sowed worry all over the town. Almost everyone had been involved in the scheme at some point. Hours of investigation and questioning bore fruit. Government representatives, officers and even residents were duly rounded up and sent to prison. “Did you hear about so and so being arrested?” The murmur was heard in the households of Disna. “Someone informed on him!” Fearful that his turn would come at any moment, Reb Baruch booked a train ticket to Lubavitch. Only one person could help him, and that was the Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch, known as the Rebbe Rashab. After disembarking, Reb Baruch briskly made his way to the rebbe’s house and asked the attendant, Reb Nachman, if he could arrange a meeting. “Unfortunately for you,” explained Reb Nachman, “today is particularly busy. I can get you on the list for tomorrow though.” “That won’t do,” pleaded Reb Baruch. “I need to speak to the Rebbe today.” “But what difference is there between today and tomorrow?” asked Reb Nachman, who knew that Reb Baruch hardly ever requested a private meeting with the Rebbe, even during his annual visit to Lubavitch for Rosh Hashanah. But in this case, Reb Baruch could not wait for even a day. He wrote a letter stating the urgent nature of his visit and handed it to the next Chassid in line to enter the Rebbe’s room. Reb Baruch hoped that the Rebbe would read his urgent petition and allow him in. It worked. The Rebbe told the Chassid who handed him the letter to call Reb Nachman, who was then instructed to find Reb Baruch and usher him in. Reb Baruch described to the Rebbe everything that had transpired in Disna in great detail: the widespread corruption, the unexpected arrival of the government inspectors, and the eventual arrests that shook the town to its core. He wasn’t able to return home because he was absolutely sure that he would be arrested the moment he arrived. He had decided to flee to one of two places: Poltava, a city located by the Vorskla River in central Ukraine, or Kremenchug, which was also in central Ukraine, but flanked the Dnieper River. The Rebbe Rashab sat in deep thought for a few seconds. “Nobody knows you’ve traveled here?” the Rebbe asked. “No,” Reb Baruch answered. “No one except my wife. She knows.” “And have you acted honestly all this time?” Given the amount of money that had passed through his hands, it would not have been surprising if Reb Baruch had taken some of it for himself. “Yes,” affirmed Reb Baruch. The Rebbe Rashab fell silent for another moment. He then pulled out his pocket watch from his vest and glanced at it. “I think that if you are quick enough, you can catch a ride with one of the wagon drivers who travels to the train station regularly. If, however, you happen to miss your ride, then come back and a wagon will be arranged for you. Take the train home, and have a safe trip, with G-d’s help.” Reb Baruch came out of the rebbe’s room more confused than before. Going home had been out of the question. His query was which city to flee to. Yet the rebbe gave his blessing for him to return to Disna. There was no time to debate the rebbe’s advice. Reb Baruch hurried and managed to hail one of the last wagons out of Lubavitch. He arrived home the next morning. The trepidation inside Reb Baruch’s house was palpable. Day after day, he waited with bated breath for the dreaded knock on the door, terrified by more reports of arrests. Reb Baruch learned that almost everyone involved in the recruitment office was somehow caught. He didn’t allow himself to wander the streets, lest someone recognize him and inform the police of his presence. It took a few days for someone to come up to him and reveal an interesting development. His friend Yaakov Reuven Miller congratulated Reb Baruch with a mazal tov, saying that he was almost certain that the danger had passed, and he would be saved. Seeing Reb Baruch’s surprised look, Yaakov Reuven explained. Aside from making his living through the sale of vegetables, Yaakov Reuven also rented out vegetable garden patches for the use of various dukes and officers. Occasionally, he found himself inside the homes of some of the most important citizens of the city. So one day, as Yaakov Reuven waited to settle the vegetable bill with the wife of a government official, a sudden shriek startled him. The wife of the officer ran in, emotionally distraught. “What happened?” asked Yaakov Reuven, alarmed. Leaving out no details, the woman shared the cause of her distress as though Yaakov Reuven were a close friend: “Years ago, my husband used to take bribes. Somehow, the officer ranking above my husband found out about his quiet business dealings, and he too began to take bribe money in exchange for administrative favors. When that happened, my husband stopped receiving bribes. For the past few years, he hasn’t taken a single kopek in bribe.” “My husband had in the pocket a letter revealing Reb Baruch Yosef Kozliner’s illegal dealings, which he intended to hand over to the authorities slated to arrive shortly. Sitting across him was the secretary, who opened a letter divulging my husband’s dirty money. After reading the condemning evidence, the secretary showed the document to my husband. Panicking, my husband snatched the document and put it in his pocket. Just then the door abruptly burst open, and the Czar’s police walked in. My husband reached to his pocket and handed proudly the letter to the police. He did not realize he handed the wrong one and was arrested for corruption.” Reb Baruch was never arrested!

Rabbi Fridmann

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