Five Ducats for Purim
When a merchant sent five gold coins instead of the usual one, Rav Shlomo returned four and sensed the reason before he was asked.
Every year, a certain wealthy merchant of Brod sent the Rav a gift for Purim: a single gold ducat, wrapped with his greetings. It had become an established custom, and Rav Shlomo accepted it with thanks.
One year, the package held five ducats. Rav Shlomo took out one, the amount he always received, and sent the other four back with the messenger. His family was surprised. Why return so generous a gift from a man who clearly meant well?
Rav Shlomo explained. For many years, he said, this man has sent one ducat. Why should he suddenly send five? Something must have changed. Perhaps a din Torah was coming before him, or perhaps a question of halacha that mattered a great deal to the merchant. A judge, he said, must keep himself clear of every gift that could tilt his heart, and he would not allow even a hint of that.
A few days later, his words were proven right. The merchant came to the Rav's house carrying a bottle of English rum he had bought. He hoped the Rav would approve it for use on Pesach and give it a kosher certification. Rav Shlomo examined the matter and ruled that it could not be used on Pesach. His ruling is still on record in Chochmas Shlomo, his glosses to the Shulchan Aruch. The family now understood why he had refused the extra coins.
Source: Toldos Shlomo (by his grandson Rav Yehuda Aharon Kluger, Lemberg 1888)
Whenever you are in a position to decide something for someone else, whether you are a parent, a manager, a neighbor asked to settle a dispute or a friend asked to give advice, ask yourself if anything has shaded your view. Notice a favor, a gift or a friendly gesture that came right before the decision. If it did, pause and either decline it, return it or ask someone else to decide. Doing this protects the trust that others place in you, and it keeps your own heart honest.