בס”ד
Vayikra (Leviticus 1-5 )
Vayikra, 5:21: “If a soul will sin and commit a treachery against G-d by lying to his comrade regarding a pledge or a loan or a robbery; or by defrauding his comrade…”
Rashi, 5:21, Dh: Nefesh: “Rebbe Akiva says, ‘what do [the words] ‘commit a treachery against Hashem’ come to teach? Because for every lender and borrower or every legal interaction…he only does so with witnesses and a contract. Therefore, at a time when he denies [the loan or pledge], he contradicts witnesses and a contract. However, [with regards to] the one who deposits something by his friend, and does not want anyone to know about it [and there are no human witnesses], when he denies the loan [in such a case] he is contradicting the third party between the [G-d].”
The Torah outlines the required atonement for various sins pertaining to stealing. One of them is where a person gives his friend something to guard and when the owner requests it back, his ‘friend’ denies that he ever received such a deposit. The Torah describes his dishonest action as ‘treachery against G-d’. We know that stealing is a sin in the category of inter-personal relations, so why is it primarily described as treachery against G-d as opposed to treachery against the owner of the item?
This question is raised by Rebbi Akiva in the Torat Kohanim, cited by Rashi here. Rashi explains: When someone gives his fellow a loan, he usually arranges witnesses to the handing over of the money, or he draws up a document which witnesses sign, attesting to the loan. In any business deal, there is a contract or document certifying the details of the transaction. Therefore, if one lends money to his fellow, and the borrower later denies that he was ever given money, the lender can prove that the loan took place and the borrower will not be able to deny it. In such cases, the defendant who denies the debt will be challenging the witnesses who witnessed the transaction or signed the document.
However, when one asks his friend to do him a favor and guard an article of value, he does not bother getting witnesses or having a contract drawn up because he trusts his fellow. Only one other ‘Party’ knows about this private arrangement – G-d. Consequently, when the watchman denies the deposit, in such a situation, he is described as contradicting the “Third Party between them” – G-d. Consequently, the Torah teaches that he is indeed acting “treacherously” against God by contradicting His testimony.
We learn from here that a person must always be aware that his actions are being witnessed by G-d even if nobody else is aware of them. We can make a an all the more so argument that when other people are also aware of a person’s dishonest actions, then the sin against G-d is multiplied because it constitutes a desecration of G-d’s name.
In this vein, Rabbi Aaron Lopianksy in his excellent book, ‘Ben Torah for Life’, speaks very strongly about common ‘business’ practices that are not straight but are often employed sadly even by ‘observant’ Jews. He tells the following story to provide an example of this behavior. He refers to an acquaintance (Mr Cohen) who is in a field that requires many service suppliers. One of these suppliers is a non-Jew (Bob) who had previously not done any business with Jews apart from Mr Cohen. Bob then began servicing additional observant Jewish clients. Bob told Mr Cohen that a new observant Jewish client called him after receiving his bill. Although this client had previously agreed to a price, after he received the receipt of the agreed upon bill, he now called Bob and proposed settling the bill at seventy cents on the dollar, even though he was not in any financial need. Bob then told Mr Cohen that this happened with his other new Jewish customers. Mr Cohen called up the new Jewish client and asked him if he realized what kind of a desecration of G-d’s name he was making. The reply was, “that’s what everyone does.”1 Of course, that logic does not justify acting in such a manner, and we also know the ultimately a person does not gain from dishonest practices. Most significantly, the impression it gives of how so-called observant Jews act is very negative with potentially damaging consequences
Happily, Rabbi Lopiansky also relates the opposite kind of stories where honest behavior by observant Jews reaped incredible benefits.2 He recounts a story from the years of the Holocaust about Rabbi Moshe Zupnik who was a German born student of the Mir. He was deeply involved in the Mir’s efforts to escape Europe and go to Japan. The most difficult part of the escape was to obtain transit visas to Japan. There was a Japanese consul in Kovno, the famous Mr Sugihara who agreed to issue visas even though he was instructed not to do so. The problem was that it was physically impossible for him to issue all the visas in the short time available. Rav Zupnik asked him if he could teach him how to fill out the paperwork so he could help. He agreed but the two of them were still unable to work fast enough.
Then a remarkable thing happened. The consul’s secretary was a German Gestapo agent names Wolfgang Gudze. To their great surprise he offered to help with the paperwork. In the few days left, the three of them (a Japanese consul, a Mir bochur and a Nazi!) managed to issued 2400 visas. Needless to say, the Gestapo agent could have easily stopped the whole process, and he was risking everything by helping Jews. Before he left, he told Rav Zupnik, “I have great respect for your kind” (ie. Observant Jews). Rabbi Lopiansky observes that this means that in his earlier years, he had had enough interaction with religious Jews and saw enough to admire and respect, that he would risk his life to help them. Evidently, he was not impressed by their observance of Mitzvot between man and G-d, such as tefillin or Shabbat. Rather, their behavior in the realm of inter-personal relationships such as honesty, integrity and friendliness made such a wonderful impression that ultimately resulted in thousands of lives being saved.
Rabbi Lopiansky dramatically ends this account with a theoretical but perfectly possible vision of the consequences of this story for the honest Jew who may have so impressed the Nazi:
“As an epilogue, I picture a Yekkishe [German] accountant arriving in Heaven after one hundred and twenty years. Being a good accountant, he has tallied his Mitzvot and aveirot [sins] and expects a three-star motel in Gan Eden. As he nears the heavenly gates, he sees a huge commotion and a big banner, “Welcome to the savior of the Torah World.” He is shocked; did he even save any one person, let along the entire Torah World?”
Yes! When he had gone about his work quietly and calmly, treating everyone with dignity, honest to a fault, faithful to his commitments and consistent in his Mitzva observance he in fact was projecting Hashem’s great name. He projected it so intensely that all his clients – even one who would soon become a Gestapo officer – had to acknowledge that this nation is a special nation. Such a “low key” activity and yet, such a grand result!”
May we all merit to be trustworthy to our fellow and to G-d.
By Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
- Ben Torah for Life, p.102.
- Ibid, pp.98-100.
WEEKLY TORAH PORTION,
The Guiding Light
by Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
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