Rav Nosson Kamenetzky, the son of halachic and spiritual giant Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, wanted to investigate his family roots. He traveled back to the Lithuanian town in which his father had served as Rav, and it was there that he learned an astonishing fact. Although Lithuanian Jewry was decimated by the Nazis Yemach Shemam, the Jewish population of this town had somehow been able to survive.
He approached the town’s mayor for some insight. The mayor explained that before becoming mayor, he was the postmaster of the town. And this was while Rav Yaakov was still rabbi. He had a test he would play on all customers to check their integrity. He would purposely give them extra change when buying stamps and see whether they would return it.
He did this to Rav Yaakov three times, and each time he said, your father returned with the extra change. Because of this, he garnered a great respect and admiration for the Jewish community. And after he became mayor, whenever the Nazis would come in to round up the Jews, he would tip them off beforehand, giving them a chance to run and hide.
This is how an entire community was saved. When Rav Nosson returned home, he asked his father if he remembered being tested by this postmaster. Rav Yaakov replied that while he didn’t recall the exact incident, he did remember that the town postmaster did not know how to count. An interesting juxtaposition in this week’s parashah reminds me of this story.
The parashah begins with the laws of shemittah and is followed by the prohibition against cheating. “Al tonu ish es achiv,” (one should not deceive one’s fellow in business matters). Why are these two laws written next to each other? The laws of shemittah were very challenging. In a society in which most of the economy centered around agriculture, practicing shemittah was financial suicide.
For an entire year, one would not work, plant, or harvest the land, and it took a tremendous amount of emunah and bitachon. But the farmers would rely on Hashem’s promise that they would not only survive the shemittah year, but would thrive despite their lack of farming. That is why the prohibition against cheating follows the laws of shemittah.
A person is tempted to cheat to gain a few extra dollars. But when it is clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that one’s Parnassah is solely in the hands of heaven, gaming and manipulating the system become futile, thereby reducing its appeal. This complete honesty stemming from an absolute bitachon in Hashem is what Rabbi Yaakov personified.
It’s what led him to return the change each time he went to the Postmaster, and ultimately it’s what saved hundreds of yidden from the Holocaust. When we live with this perspective of believing that every penny, every occurrence comes from on high, we open the channels for Hashem’s brachos to come by.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.
