The Jerusalem Police raided several ultra-Orthodox institutions Sunday as part of an elaborate fraud investigation. Five people were arrested.
Police believe that the suspects are involved in a massive student registration scheme, meant to defraud the state out of millions of shekels.
The Semag says in ESE 74 that Moshiach cannot come as long as the gentiles think Jews are dishonest. He therefore says that even things that maybe be permitted to take, such as lost objects, must be returned, lest Moshiach be unable to come, lest the nations say, "Look, G-d redeems thieves."
ReplyDeleteThe world was destroyed in the time of Noach because of stealing, so how can someone steal? The rabbis taught, "Whoever learns and does not work, will end in wasted effort and sin that brings to further sin." The exception is someone who is able to suffer in great poverty and still learn, but the Zohar says that such people don't exist anymore. However, the Yeshiva system is based on this idea, and they had people, in Europe at least, who did live with hideous poverty and learn. But today it is quite a question if one may learn without a living and live in povery.
The Chido quotes the Ari z"l that when a Jew steals even from a pagan, they take the good deeds of the Jew and give it to the angel of the nations, so that the nations can continue to control the Jews in exile. Also, the children of the thief can be punished, torn from Judaism, or killed. This is also taught in Shivchei HaBesht.
ReplyDeleteCan you cite a source for the Chida?
DeleteJames,
DeleteThe Chido is in Midbar Kedaymose chapter GIMEL paragraph 29. He mentions there that it is a sin to steal from even a pagan, and if one sins this way he profanes HaShem's Name, the greatest sin. He quotes from the Ari z"l that one who steals from a gentile give power of to the angel of the nations to enslave Israel with the power of the thief's good deeds and mitsvose. He quotes Sefer Chassidim 661 that someone stole from a goy and his entire family was wiped out as well as his money. This happened when the victim of the Jew's theft died. When a gentile dies in heaven they tell him every Jew who stole from him and the gentile cries out for justice and terrible punishments, such as killing children or causing them to leave Judaism, are meted out.
I wish Rabbi Eidensohn would go to the Internet asifa, and be the mc. This is much worse then the net. Parents slaving away to support their married kids, otherwise your daughter won't get a shidduch . In ey it's worse, they have to buy their son in law an apt or no shidduch . What brought כלל ישראל to this and who will fix it?
ReplyDeleteBased on the last D.T. posting and the possibility that maus alay could mean "he's not my cup of tea", I beginning to understand why many serious bnei Torah need the security of an apt before they can hitch up to someone who might want to walk out on a whim!
Delete>The Semag says in ESE 74 that Moshiach cannot come as long as the gentiles think Jews are dishonest. He therefore says that even things that maybe be permitted to take, such as lost objects, must be returned, lest Moshiach be unable to come, lest the nations say, "Look, G-d redeems thieves."<
ReplyDeleteSo the Torah (i.e. HKBH) didn't realize what the law SHOULD be and it took the Semag to set things straight?
Dovy,
DeleteWhen someone steals from a gentile or even a pagan, it is a sin. But a greater sin is not the theft, but Chilul HaShem, the greatest sin. When a gentile does not respect a Jew, or all Jews, because of this chilul HaShem that is serious. So there is a Torah telling us the deeds we may or may not do. There is a part of the Torah that deals only with Chilul HaShem, the greatest sin. And there is a part of the Torah that is so high and hidden that the Torah doesn't discuss it so much, and that is the laws of being a mensh, or Derech Erets, which comes before the Torah, and is higher than the Torah. This is one of the reasons we find in the Talmud the greatest Roshei Yeshiva insisted that their students have a good parnoso so they would be able to learn without pressures and temptations.
Dovy,
DeleteIn many things there is a distinct difference between the law and Middat Yashrut and Chassidut. Just because you can take something, doesn't mean that you should.
The GR"A speaks on this in his biurim on tehillim perek 24. Where he says that clean palms means that they are free even from the dust of theft.
For instance if you were to buy a pair of tefillin, and then found out that they were kosher bdiavad, and even then only by relying on every possible kula under the sun, would you be happy or would you feel cheated?
Is the used car salesman who sells you a lemon because you didn't know the right questions to ask stealing from you? The GR"A there would say not, since due diligence is on you, but that the dust of theft(since what he is doing is still inherently dishonest) sticks to his palms.
Then adding in the Chillul HaShem factor, in that doing so causes people to scoff at Torah... That is an actual aveirah. If Baal Habatim or Amei Haaretz do things that are not directly kneged hadin but are lacking in Yashrut that probably will not cause a chillul hashem. However, if a Rosh Yeshiva tricks you into buying his lemon of a car, or sells you inferior tefillin, it will.
There is a famous aggdata in the Gemrra(I believe in Shabbos, though I can't remember) where the students of Rav Yehuda buy a mule from a goy and find a large diamond in its mane. Rav Yehuda replied, did you buy a diamond or a mule, because one of the two has to be returned. If you see the meforshim, strictly speaking neither had to be returned. However, for fear of the chillul hashem, and on account of the wanting to teach his students yashrut, he insisted(ultimately) that the diamond be returned.