Hidden Treasure: The Two Sides of Every Coin
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Vayikra 14:34
כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם
When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I will put the plague of tzara'as in a house of the land of your possession.
Rashi: This is good news for them, that the plagues will come upon them, for the Emorites hid treasures of gold in the walls of their houses all the forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, and through the plague the owner tears down the house and finds them.
1“When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I will put the plague of tzara'as in a house of the land of your possession.”1
כִּי תָבוֹאוּ אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחוּזָּה וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחוּזַּתְכֶם (יד, לד).
- Vayikra 14:34. ↩
In shortThe Torah speaks of the plague on houses as something Hashem will “put” in the Land He gives Israel.
2Rashi explains: “This is good news for them, that the plagues will come upon them. For the Emorites hid treasures of gold in the walls of their houses all the forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, and through the plague the owner tears down the house and finds them.”2 We need to understand why this bounty had to reach Bnei Yisrael through plagues, of all things. Hashem has many ways to give good to His children; why did He arrange it in this particular way? The commentators, the Ibn Ezra and the Kli Yakar, also ask why the verse needs the extra words “which I give you.”3 It could simply have said, “When you come into the land of Canaan,” for it is obvious that they enter the Land by the power of Hashem, Who gives it to them.
פֵּירֵשׁ רש״י הַקָּדוֹשׁ, בְּשׂוֹרָה הִיא לָהֶם שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים בָּאִים עֲלֵיהֶם, לְפִי שֶׁהִטְמִינוּ אֱמוֹרִיִּים מַטְמוֹנִיּוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב בְּקִירוֹת בָּתֵּיהֶם כָּל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְעַל יְדֵי הַנֶּגַע נוֹתֵץ הַבַּיִת וּמוֹצְאָן. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין הַטַּעַם שֶׁהוּצְרַךְ לָבֹא הַשֶּׁפַע לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דַּוְוקָא עַל יְדֵי נְגָעִים, הֲלֹא הַרְבֵּה דְּרָכִים לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ שֶׁפַע טוֹב לְבָנָיו, וְלָמָּה סִיבֵּב הַדָּבָר שֶׁיֵּיעָשֶׂה דַּוְוקָא בְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ. עוֹד הִקְשׁוּ הַמְּפָרְשִׁים (עיין באבן עזרא, ובכלי יקר) מַהוּ אֲרִיכוּת הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לָכֶם׳, וְהָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר ׳כִּי תָבוֹאוּ אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן׳ וְתוּ לָא, שֶׁכֵּן פָּשׁוּט הוּא כִּי בִּיאָתָם לָאָרֶץ הִיא בְּכוֹחוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שְׁמוֹ שֶׁנּוֹתְנוֹ לָהֶם.
- Rashi on Vayikra 14:34. A house whose plague spreads must be torn down (Vayikra 14:45). ↩
- See Ibn Ezra and Kli Yakar there. ↩
In shortWhy did the Emorites' gold come through plagues, when Hashem has many ways to give, and why does the verse add “which I give you”?
3The Midrash says: “When Bnei Yisrael heard the passage of nega'im, the plagues of tzara'as, they were afraid. Moshe said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; these are for the nations of the world, but you are to eat, drink and rejoice.’”4 The commentators, the Etz Yosef on the Midrash and the Vavei HaAmudim, raise a difficulty: only Jews become impure through nega'im, not non-Jews!5
וּבַמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה טו, ד) אִיתָא, כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּרָשַׁת נְגָעִים נִתְיָירְאוּ, אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה אַל תִּתְיָירְאוּ אֵלּוּ לְאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֲבָל אַתֶּם לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ. וְהִקְשׁוּ הַמְּפָרְשִׁים (עץ יוסף שם, ווי העמודים פרק כג) הֲרֵי רַק בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִטַּמְּאִין בִּנְגָעִים וְלֹא גוֹיִים.
In shortMoshe told Israel that the plagues are “for the nations”; yet only Jews become impure through nega'im.
4aLet us first cite what my holy father and teacher, zt"l, said on Rashi's comment at the beginning of Parshas Tazria. Rashi writes: “Just as man was formed after every animal, beast and bird in the work of creation, so his law was set out after the law of animals, beasts and birds.”6 The Midrash also says: “If a person is worthy, he is told, ‘You came before all the work of creation’; and if not, he is told, ‘The gnat came before you.’”7
וְנַקְדִּים עוֹד אֶת דִּבְרֵי כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה עַל דִּבְרֵי רש״י בְּרֵישׁ פָּרָשַׁת תַּזְרִיעַ, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיְּצִירָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אַחַר כָּל בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, כָּךְ תּוֹרָתוֹ נִתְפָּרְשָׁה אַחַר תּוֹרַת בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף. וּבַמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה יד, א) אִיתָא, אִם זָכָה אָדָם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ אַתָּה קָדַמְתָּ לְכָל מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, וְאִם לָאו אוֹמְרִים לוֹ יַתּוּשׁ קְדָמְךָ.
4bMy holy father explained that a person who is not worthy must learn Torah from all the work of creation. That is the meaning of “so his law was set out after the law of animals and beasts”: he learns Torah from the “torah” of animals and beasts, as Chazal taught, “Had the Torah not been given, we would have learned not to steal from the ant …”8 He can learn Torah even from a gnat. But a person who is worthy learns everything from the Torah itself. That is what Chazal meant when they said that derech eretz, proper worldly conduct, “came before the Torah”:9 it is only a preface to the Torah. The main thing is the Torah itself, for the true goal is to learn everything from it. This is the meaning of “But his desire is in the Torah of Hashem”:10 all one's chafatzim, one's desires and one's things, should be within the Torah of Hashem.
וּבֵיאֵר בָּזֶה, כִּי בְּאִם לֹא זָכָה אָדָם, אָז צָרִיךְ לִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָה מִכָּל מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ ׳כָּךְ תּוֹרָתוֹ נִתְפָּרְשָׁה אַחַר תּוֹרַת בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁלּוֹמֵד תּוֹרָה מִתּוֹרַת בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה, וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (עירובין ק, ב) אִלְמָלֵא לֹא נִתְּנָה תּוֹרָה הָיִינוּ לוֹמְדִים גָּזֵל מִנְּמָלָה וְכוּ׳, וַאֲפִילּוּ מִיַּתּוּשׁ הוּא יָכוֹל לִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָה. אֲבָל אִם זָכָה הוּא לוֹמֵד הַכֹּל מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (עיין ויקרא רבה ט, ג) דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ קָדְמָה לַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ הִיא רַק הַקְדָּמָה לַתּוֹרָה, אֲבָל הָעִיקָּר זֶה הַסֵּפֶר הַתּוֹרָה בְּעַצְמוֹ, כִּי תַּכְלִית הַנִּרְצֶה הוּא לִלְמוֹד הַכֹּל מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְזֶהוּ ״כִּי אִם בְּתוֹרַת ה׳ חֶפְצוֹ״ (תהלים א, ב) שֶׁכָּל הַחֲפָצִים יִהְיוּ בְּתוֹרַת ה׳.
- Eruvin 100b. The Gemara also lists modesty from the cat, fidelity from the dove and good manners from the rooster. ↩
- See Vayikra Rabbah 9:3. ↩
- Tehillim 1:2. ↩
In shortThe unworthy must learn even from the gnat, the Rebbe's father taught; the worthy learn everything from the Torah, bringing all their desires into it.
5We can explain all these points as follows. As is well known, Bnei Yisrael must serve Hashem in two areas: through Torah and mitzvos, and through physical matters. As the verse says, “Know Him in all your ways …,”11 and as the Shulchan Aruch rules at length, closing with the words that whoever conducts himself this way serves his Creator constantly.12
וְיֵשׁ לְבָאֵר כָּל הָעִנְיָנִים בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה, דְּהִנֵּה נוֹדַע שֶׁצְּרִיכִים בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲבוֹד אֶת ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּשְׁנֵי עִנְיָינִים, הֵן בַּתּוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹות וְהֵן בְּעִנְיָינִים הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים, כְּמַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (משלי ג, ו) ״בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ״ וְגוֹ׳, וּכְנִפְסָק בְּשׁוּלְחָן עָרוּךְ (סימן רלא) בַּאֲרִיכוּת, וּמְסַיֵּים בְּשׁוּלְחָן עָרוּךְ שֶׁמִּי שֶׁנּוֹהֵג כֵּן עוֹבֵד אֶת בּוֹרְאוֹ תָּמִיד.
- Mishlei 3:6. ↩
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 231, which rules that even eating, sleeping and business should be for the sake of Heaven. ↩
In shortA Jew serves Hashem through Torah and mitzvos, and through physical matters too, as “Know Him in all your ways” teaches.
6When the Holy One, blessed be He, sends an abundance of blessing in the form of money, He wants it used to do His will and to bring everything into holiness. A person does this by being generous and compassionate, giving tzedakah and doing kindness with his money. This power is planted in the very nature of Bnei Yisrael, for they are the seed of Avraham, the man of kindness, and they inherited his good middos, his character traits. My holy great-grandfather, zy"a, wrote in the holy sefer Divrei Binah that this is the meaning of Avraham Avinu's words “For full silver let him give it to me.”13 For “one who has a hundred wants two hundred,” as the verse says, “One who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver.”14 But Avraham Avinu's silver was “full”: he did not want more than he had, and what Hashem had given him was enough for him. That is “For full silver let him give it to me”: my silver is “full.” So far his words. This makes it clear that Avraham had no lust for money, Heaven forbid; he used his money only for good.
וְהִנֵּה בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמַּשְׁפִּיעַ הקב״ה שֶׁפַע בְּרָכָה שֶׁל מָמוֹן, רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ בְּשֶׁפַע זֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנוֹ, וּלְהַכְנִיס הַכֹּל לִקְדוּשָּׁה, עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיִּנְהוֹג בְּטוֹבַת עַיִן וְרַחֲמָנוּת וְיַעֲשֶׂה בְּמָמוֹנוֹ צְדָקָה וְחֶסֶד. וְכֹחַ זֶה נָטוּעַ בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּטִבְעָם כִּי הֵם מִזֶּרַע אַבְרָהָם אִישׁ הַחֶסֶד וְקִבְּלוּ אֶת מִידּוֹתָיו הַטּוֹבוֹת, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב זְקֵינִי זיע״א בְּסֵפֶר הַקָּדוֹשׁ דִּבְרֵי בִּינָה שֶׁזֶּהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה (בראשית כג, ט) ״בְּכֶסֶף מָלֵא יִתְּנֶנָּה לִּי״, דְּהִנֵּה מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מָנֶה רוֹצֶה מָאתַיִם, כְּדִכְתִיב (קוהלת ה, ט) ״אוֹהֵב כֶּסֶף לֹא יִשְׂבַּע כֶּסֶף״, אֲבָל כַּסְפּוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה הָיָה בִּבְחִינַת ׳מָלֵא׳, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה רוֹצֶה יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ, רַק הָיָה דַּי לוֹ בַּמֶּה שֶׁנָּתַן לוֹ ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ. וְזֶהוּ ׳בְּכֶסֶף מָלֵא יִתְּנֶנָּה לִּי׳, שֶׁהַכֶּסֶף שֶׁלִּי הוּא בִּבְחִינַת ׳מָלֵא׳, ע״כ. דְּמִזֶּה מְבוֹאָר דְּלָא הָיָה לְאַבְרָהָם ח״ו תַּאֲוַת מָמוֹן, אֶלָּא הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּמָמוֹנוֹ רַק לְטוֹבָה.
In shortWealth is meant for kindness, Avraham's legacy to Israel; his silver was “full,” for he was content and used it only for good.
7This is what Chazal meant by “The coin of Avraham Avinu: an old man and an old woman on one side, and a young man and a maiden on the other side.”15 We may read it as a hint that teaches this very lesson. Every coin has two sides. On one side, a person can do acts of compassion with his money, and the old man, who stands for rachamim, mercy, points to this. On the other side, he can be stingy and cruel with his money, with no pity for the poor and destitute, and the young man, whose blood runs hot, points to this.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (בבא קמא צז, ב) מַטְבֵּעַ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ זָקֵן וּזְקֵנָה מִצַּד אֶחָד וּבָחוּר וּבְתוּלָה מִצַּד אַחֵר, וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ בְּדֶרֶךְ רֶמֶז, כִּי בָּא לְלַמֵּד וּלְהוֹרוֹת עִנְיָן זֶה, דְּהִנֵּה כָּל מַטְבֵּעַ יֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁנֵי צְדָדִים, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁמִּצַּד אֶחָד אֶפְשָׁר לִפְעוֹל וְלַעֲשׂוֹת עִם הַמָּמוֹן עִנְיָינִים שֶׁל רַחֲמָנוּת שֶׁעַל זֶה מוֹרֶה זָקֵן שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת רַחֲמִים, וּמִצַּד שֵׁנִי אֶפְשָׁר לִנְהוֹג בְּמָמוֹנוֹ בְּצָרוּת עַיִן וְלִהְיוֹת אַכְזָר שֶׁלֹּא לְרַחֵם עַל עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן, וְעַל זֶה מוֹרֶה בָּחוּר שֶׁבּוֹ רְתִיחַת הַדָּמִים.
- Bava Kamma 97b. ↩
In shortAvraham's coin hints that money has two sides: the old man's mercy, and the stinginess and cruelty of the hot-blooded young man.
8Now we can say why Hashem sent the bounty of money through plagues, of all things: to show that money holds two kinds of power. We must work hard on ourselves never to handle money, Heaven forbid, with the stinginess that brings plagues, as the Midrash explains,16 but to use it with mercy.
וּמֵעַתָּה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, כִּי לָכֵן הֵבִיא ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שֶׁפַע הַמָּמוֹן דַּוְוקָא עַל יְדֵי נְגָעִים, לְהַרְאוֹת שֶׁבְּכֶסֶף יֵשׁ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי כּוֹחוֹת, וּצְרִיכִים מְאֹד לַעֲמוֹל עַל עַצְמוֹ שֶׁלֹּא נַגִּיעַ ח״ו לְהִתְנַהֵג בְּמָמוֹן בְּמִידַּת צַר עַיִן שֶׁעַל יָדוֹ בָּא נְגָעִים (כמבואר בויקרא רבה יז, ב), אֶלָּא שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ בּוֹ בְּמִידַּת הָרַחֲמִים.
- Vayikra Rabbah 17:2. ↩
In shortWealth came through plagues to show that money holds two powers; we must overcome the stinginess that brings plagues and use it with mercy.
9This lets us explain the verse “And I will put the plague …”: by sending the plagues through which they found the money, the Holy One, blessed be He, was testing Bnei Yisrael. He wanted to see whether they would handle their money with stinginess, Heaven forbid, or with compassion and other good middos. That is why the verse says venasati, “and I will put,” a word that means it will surely happen: Hashem will do this to test “the people close to Him.”17
וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ בָּזֶה כַּוָּונַת הַכָּתוּב ׳וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע׳ וְגוֹ׳, שֶׁבִּנְתִינַת הַנְּגָעִים שֶׁעַל יָדָם מָצְאוּ הַמָּמוֹן, בָּא הקב״ה לִבְחוֹן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַאִם יִתְנַהֲגוּ בְּמָמוֹנָם בְּצָרוּת עַיִן ח״ו אוֹ בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמָנוּת וּשְׁאָר מִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת, וְעַל כֵּן נֶאֱמַר בְּזֶה הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳וְנָתַתִּי׳ שֶׁמַּשְׁמָעוּתוֹ שֶׁוַּדַּאי יִהְיֶה כָּךְ, דְּיַעֲשֶׂה כֵּן בִּשְׁבִיל לְנַסּוֹת עִם קְרוֹבוֹ.
- Tehillim 148:14. ↩
In shortVenasati, “and I will put,” signals certainty: Hashem will surely send wealth through plagues to test whether His people use it stingily or with compassion.
10This also lets us resolve the Midrash in which the Holy One, blessed be He, answered Israel that the plagues are for the nations of the world. We cited the commentators' question: the passage of nega'im does not apply to the nations at all! But the Midrash means that, for the nations, money draws out the trait behind the plagues: stinginess and cruelty. The nations of the world are not the seed of Avraham, and compassion is not part of their nature; their money always stands ready to be used for cruelty, as we have seen in every generation. But Bnei Yisrael are “to eat, drink and rejoice”: they have the power to use abundance properly, to be gracious with it to the poor and needy and to welcome guests.
וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ לְיַישֵּׁב דִּבְרֵי הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁהֵשִׁיב הקב״ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים הֵם לְאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם, וְהֵבֵאנוּ לְעֵיל קוּשְׁיַית הַמְּפָרְשִׁים הֲרֵי אֵצֶל הָאוּמּוֹת אֵין נוֹהֵג פָּרָשַׁת נְגָעִים, אֶלָּא דְּכַוָּונַת הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁאֶצְלָם הַכֶּסֶף מַשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶם מִידַּת נְגָעִים לִהְיוֹת צָרֵי עַיִן וּלְהִתְנַהֵג בְּאַכְזָרִיּוּת, כִּי אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֵינָם מִזֶּרַע אַבְרָהָם וְאֵין לָהֶם שַׁיָּיכוּת לְמִדַּת הָרַחֲמָנוּת בְּטִבְעָם, אֶלָּא תָּמִיד כַּסְפָּם עוֹמֵד וּמְשַׁמֵּשׁ לִהְיוֹת מְנוּצָּל לְעִנְיָן שֶׁל אַכְזָרִיּוּת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁרָאִינוּ זֹאת בְּכָל דּוֹר וְדוֹר. אֲבָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ׳לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ׳ הַיְינוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם הַכֹּחַ לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּשֶׁפַע בָּאוֹפֶן הָרָאוּי, לָחוֹן בּוֹ עֲנִיִּים וְדַלִּים וּלְהַכְנִיס אוֹרְחִים.
In shortAmong the nations money breeds the stinginess and cruelty behind nega'im; Avraham's children can enjoy abundance by sharing it with the poor and with guests.
11This is also what my holy father meant when he said that we must learn everything from the Torah and not from the work of creation. That is, a person must reach the level of bringing in everything, even physical things, and joining it all to the Torah.
וְזֶהוּ גַּם כַּוָּונַת כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה בִּדְבָרָיו שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁהַכֹּל צְרִיכִים לִלְמוֹד מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְלֹא מִמַּעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, שֶׁצְּרִיכִים לְהַגִּיעַ לְדַרְגָּה לְהַכְנִיס כָּל הַדְּבָרִים וּלְחַבֵּר הַכֹּל לַתּוֹרָה אֲפִילּוּ הַדְּבָרִים הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים.
In shortLearning everything from the Torah, as the Rebbe's father taught, means joining every part of life, even the physical, to the Torah.
12I pray to Hashem, Who is good, that we too reach this level of binding all physical things to the spiritual, and so bring the redemption near. As is known from the sefarim of Kabbalah, a holy spark is hidden in every physical thing, and we must set it right; this is how the redemption is brought near, speedily. Amen, may it be His will.
תְּפִילָּתִי לַה׳ הַטּוֹב, שֶׁגַּם אֲנַחְנוּ נַגִּיעַ לְדַרְגָּה זוֹ לְקַשֵּׁר כָּל עִנְיָינִים הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים עִם רוּחָנִיּוֹת, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נְקָרֵב הַגְּאוּלָּה, כַּיָּדוּעַ מַה דְּאִיתָא בְּסִפְרֵי קַבָּלָה כִּי בְּכָל דָּבָר גַּשְׁמִי טָמוּן נִיצוֹץ קָדוֹשׁ וּצְרִיכִים לְתַקְּנוֹ, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה מְקָרְבִים אֶת הַגְּאוּלָּה בִּמְהֵרָה, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
In shortThe Rebbe prays that we bind all physical things to the spiritual, setting right their hidden holy sparks and so bringing the redemption near.
Takeaway
Money has two sides, like Avraham's coin: it can make a person stingy and cruel, or it can carry his mercy to the poor and to guests. Hashem sent the Emorites' gold through plagues to test which side we would choose. When our silver is “full” and we use it with compassion, even our physical affairs are joined to the Torah.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.