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A Moral Dilemma to Ask Your Family at the Shabbos Table: “Clever or Con”

By Rabbi Yitzy Weiner

Posted on 05/13/16

Parshas HaShavua Divrei Torah sponsored by
Dr. Shapsy Tajerstein, DPM - Podiatry Care.
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This week’s Torah portion, Parshas Kedoshim is filled with scores of mitzvos with many great moral dilemmas. It was difficult to choose which mitzva to focus on. After the last few weeks of intense, somber themes, the following is a humorous true story that poses a very interesting moral dilemma.
 
This week’s Torah portion discusses the mitzva of paying your workers on time (Vayikra 19:13). One has a mitzva to pay their workers when payment is expected and it is a prohibition to withhold payment that is owed to someone (ibid).
 
There was large Beis Medrash (study hall) that was very busy during Chol Ha’moed. Because of the large amount of people learning there, there were many sefarim (Torah books) that were left on the tables. The tables were filled with piles of unsorted sefarim. Sefarim were scattered all across the room on various tables and it was difficult for people to find the books that they needed.
 
Aaron was the Gabai (manager) of the Beis Medrash. He was very frustrated and dismayed  at the disarray of all of the books. He wanted to hire someone to organize the thousands of books on the tables and put them away. He asked around and word got out that he was looking to hire someone to gather and organize the books.
 
Uri was a young, clever, teenager who frequented this Beis Medrash. He heard that Aaron was looking for someone to do this job. Uri approached Aaron and told him he would be able to very quickly and efficiently organize all of the books. “How much are you asking for the job”? Aaron asked. “$500”. Uri answered. “It will be done in less than a day”. Aaron thought that he was getting a very good deal for the job, and agreed to pay Uri the $500 to organize and sort the thousands of books.
 
That night, maariv was filled to capacity in the Beis Medrash. Right after maariv was over, Uri went up to the bima in center of the room  and banged on it, asking for attention. The large room quickly became silent. Uri spoke to the group.  “As you see, the tables are filled with sefarim. The sefarim have not been sorted out or returned to their places. When people need a sefer they have to look all around and this causes a great disruption to people’s learning. Can everyone please take five sefarim from the table and return them to the shelf. It would be a tremendous mitzvah”. And that is what happened. The crowd obligingly each took five sefarim and in the span of less than ten  minutes, all of the sefarim were returned. Uri’s job was done.
 
Aaron watched this with amazement. Uri went over to him. “Ok, the job is done Reb Aaron. Can I kindly have the $500?” Aharon was aghast, and said, “How can you ask for so much money when you didn’t even do anything? I am not going to pay you for a job that the community volunteered to do”. Uri replied, “We made a deal. You asked for the job to be done, and I got it done. Who cares what means I used?”  
 
Aaron felt that Uri did not deserve the money and they went together to consult with an expert on Jewish financial law (Chosen Mishpat) on whether Uri deserved the payment.
 
What do you think. Does Uri deserve the $500 or not?
 
See Veharev Na Volume Two Hebrew Edition Page 403
 
Answer to last week’s moral dilemma
 
Correction:
Please note that in fact, Yosef did not survive  the Holocaust, and he was killed by the Nazis despite being a Kapo. I mistakenly wrote that he survived.
 
This case is discussed in See Shailos V’Teshuvos Mimamakim 3, 12 & 3, 14

Rabbi Oshry answered Yosef’s son, that one who is forced to do a sin is certainly not considered to be wicked. In this case, Yosef was forced to do what he did because of the Nazis. Otherwise he felt he would be killed. If we know that Yosef regretted his actions and only did so under duress and the threat of dearth, then he is not considered to be a wicked person. He was simply forced.