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Parshas Breishis - One Trait That Can Save or Destroy A Planet

By BJLife/Moishy Pruzansky

Posted on 10/24/19

Parshas HaShavua Divrei Torah sponsored by
Dr. Shapsy Tajerstein, DPM - Podiatry Care.
(410) 788-6633

At the end of our parshah, a relatively short amount of time after Hashem had just created the world, He utterly regretted His decision and decided to wipe out the entire world; bringing a mabul and starting over only through the righteous Noach. What happened that caused such a severe reaction from the Merciful Creator, the One that bestows so much kindness and that is referred to regularly, for good reason, as a Merciful Father? Although the generation proceeding the mabul committed many sins, interestingly, the Torah in Parshas Noach (6:11 and 13) openly details and repeats only ONE sin responsible for the mabul, which insinuates that it was specifically THIS one sin that caused Hashem’s reaction: thievery.


There are many sins in the Torah. Why would stealing, which isn’t even counted among the cardinal sins, justify the utter destruction of entire planet?


We all love a deal. Some scour grocery store circulars and online search engines for the best prices and the latest sales. Others savor discovering that a $1,000 airline fight has been mistakenly posted for $100. There are even special websites created specifically to let us know about these “steals” – be it children’s toys, clothing or travel opportunities. That’s why this story – related by Rabbi Yoel Gold in Ami Living Magazine (Fulfilled By Chesed –by Rabbi Yoel Gold) – is so striking:


Selling on Amazon can be a gamble at times. It’s easy to get your business started because you don’t need your own website or warehouse, but there are cautions too—the company takes a commission, and it can penalize sellers for making mistakes.


Chaim found that out the hard way. As an Amazon seller, he stocks a wide variety of products, including electronics. A few weeks ago, he had some new items to post, including 70 iPads that he had decided to sell for $400 each. He created the listing on Amazon, set the price, and posted it, anticipating a steady influx of sales.


The next morning, to his surprise, all of the iPads had been sold.


“Wow”, he thought—“that was amazing”. He quickly calculated that he had earned $28,000 overnight!


But there was something suspicious about it. He had never, ever sold all his stock so quickly; iPads were a popular product but not that popular.


He took a closer look and froze in horror. When he created the posting and set the price per item, he had inadvertently missed a zero. Instead of selling each iPad for $400, he had mistakenly sold 70 iPads for only $40 each. Chaim was devastated. How could he have been so careless? He made the calculation again, wincing. Instead of earning $28,000, he had only earned $2,800—a substantial loss.


It wasn’t too late to do something. The iPads were still in the warehouse. In theory, he could cancel the sales, but Amazon would slap him with a cancellation fee for each of the 70 items, and it would hurt his reliability rating with the company. People would see that his online store had a reputation for canceling orders, and they would be wary of buying from him in the future. In the long run, it would only hurt him more.


While Chaim was sitting in his office ruing his negligence and trying to figure out his next step, a new email pinged into his inbox. He didn’t recognize the address. The subject line identified the sender simply as “Yehuda from Lakewood.” He clicked the message and opened it.


“Hi, Chaim,” Yehuda wrote. “I’m an Amazon seller, like you. I sell iPads too, and I’m always looking around at other sellers to see what they’re up to. Last night, I saw that you had posted iPads for $40. It was obviously a mistake, and from your name I realized that you were a fellow Yid. I didn’t want you to lose so much money, so I bought all of the iPads. I’m more than happy to return all of them to you so you can post them again at an appropriate price.”


Chaim was floored. Yehuda was offering something no competitor would ever do; he would report that the order had been filled, boosting Chaim’s credibility. Chaim would pay back the $2,800 he had spent and would be able to resell the iPads, as he had intended all along.


Once the initial shock had worn off, Chaim was filled with gratitude for the chessed of a fellow Jew. He composed an email to express his appreciation.


“Thank you so much!” he wrote. “Who are you?”


“Yehuda from Lakewood,” was all the other man would say. He did not want to give his last name or any other identifying information. As far as he was concerned, he had done nothing heroic—only what any Jew would do.


There is nothing more G-dly than honesty in business. One reason for this is because there are few greater and more concrete demonstrations that one fully acknowledges that there is truly a G-d Who runs the world, and Who even controls one’s day to day income, than when one is scrupulously honest in business. This fact is compounded by the reality that one’s income is literally the livelihood for themselves and their family.


Unfortunately, this fact is a double-edged sword. When a society steals regularly, as was the practice by the generation that was wiped out by the mabul, it demonstrated the entire generation’s united attitude that G-d does not run the world nor do they care to demonstrate or acknowledge His presence within their day to day lives. Such actions, as per the Torah, warranted the destruction of an entire planet.


Living Inspired


At the end of Parshas Ki Setzei (25: 13-16), the Torah forbids using dishonest weights in business, because dishonesty in business is “an abomination to Hashem”. Immediately afterwards, the Torah tells us to remember to destroy Amalek. What is the connection between dishonest weights and Amalek? Furthermore, the Ha’amek Davar brings a Gemara in Bava Basra that states that dishonesty in business is worse than adultery. This seems a bit extreme. How can one possibly understand this statement?


The Ha’amek Davar explains that there are two types of sins: one that comes from an over-powering lust and are not thought out – and those that are pre-mediated and not based on desire. One who purposely changes his weights in order to make more money each day in business was not overtaken from a sudden lust. Rather, such actions are cold and calculated. It comes from him deciding that he cannot make money in this world without cheating. Such an action is, in a sense, worse than adultery as it stems from idolatry; not believing in G-d.


This is the connection between dishonest weights and Amalek. Amalek first attacked when the Jews had been saved from Mitzrayim through many open miracles. How could they have been so foolish to do so? Their actions demonstrated their defiance in Hashem’s Divine Providence.


Each time one is honest in business they are going against what Amalek stands for. On the other hand, if one is dishonest, in a sense that person is joining Amalek’s attitude of not believing in Hashem, as everything we have discussed illustrates. This, explains the Ha’amek Davar, is the connection between the two. 


Each time one is honest in business, he is declaring his belief that only Hashem really runs the world and can really decide how much money he will make. Doing so is a tremendous Kiddush Hashem, as it declares to oneself and to the world that he knows that only Hashem truly runs the world. May we all accomplish this great Kiddush Hashem regularly.