Parshas Vayakhel (Parah) 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Mar 20
- 2 min read
קחו מאתכם תרומה לה' כל נדיב לבו יביאה תרומת ה' ... (לה-ה)
MASHAL: “Living with Honesty” is a title based on the teachings of Hagaon HaRav Yisroel Belsky zt”l. Being one of the world’s premier halachic authorities gave R’ Belsky firsthand experiences of the dishonesty and deception many people use to make a buck, to gain an extra dollar, and he used every opportunity to correct this awful trend. The following is one such experience:
After being involved in a crash that left my car severely damaged, I took it to a body shop. The damage was about $8,500 covered by insurance, but there was a $500 deductible. Without consulting with me, the mechanic padded the bill to $9,000, made the repairs and received $8,500 from the insurance company, He said that since he had been paid in full, I could “forget about the deductible.”
The next day, something lit up on the dashboard indicating a problem. When I returned to the mechanic, he discovered that the computer on my car had been stolen. The cost of a new computer was $500, exactly the amount that I had “saved” by not paying the deductible. When I realized what the mechanic had done, I felt very happy that the Ribono shel Olam did not allow me to hold onto money that was not mine. I should have paid the $500 to begin with, and now the tainted money was taken out of my possession.
NIMSHAL: The Torah says, “Take from your own possession a dedication for Hashem.” Sometimes a person feels good when he “figured out” a way to gain a couple of bucks, even though it was not entirely genuine. Writes the Kli Yakar, to this end, the Torah warns: Make sure all your money is authentically yours, otherwise your dedication is worthless, as it is from stolen money!