leassesieotio tiits40 hem OttIt LEATHER GALLERY When We Give, We Also Receive RABBI IRWIN GRONER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS nd every man's hallowed mine." "You will find out who is things shall be his: what- right," replied the passer-by, and soever any man giveth to went on his way. Some time later, this house- the priest, it shall be his." holder suffered a reversal of for- (Numbers 5:10) The above verse refers to some tune. He went bankrupt; his of the perquisites of the priest of house was sold by the court; and, ancient Israel, in an almost ca- penniless and homeless, the only sual and indirect manner. The place he could rest his weary priest is to receive the heave-of- head was the public street. Then fering and "every man's hallowed it was that the truth stated by the saintly man struck home. The things" as well as direct gifts. This is the literal meaning of street being the property of the the verse, but it is equally possi- whole community, he could lay ble to find a different meaning. claim to its use. Of his own prop- That interpretation makes the erty, he was deprived by a turn word "his" refer not to the priest, of fortune. Consider the profound recipient of the gift, but to its lesson that what belongs to the donor, and produces this trans- community as a whole becomes lation: "And every man's hal- the inalienable property of each lowed things shall be his member of the community: property; whatsoever any man "Whatsoever the man giveth to giveth the priest shall yet belong the priest, it shall yet belong to him." to him." An interesting story is told Is it possible to justify such a paradoxical statement? How can about Anschel Rothschild, the one suggest that which a man founder of the fabulously wealthy sets aside as holy is his own prop- erty; that which he gives away shall be his, with the implicit corollary that that which he re- tains for his own use is not his? Nevertheless, the Jewish tradi- tion argues that this apparent paradox embodies a profound moral truth. The fact is often overlooked that only by giving something away do we ensure Rothschild family. He was asked that it is at our disposal, for our once how much money he had. benefit and use. It can also be Being a religious man, he re- true that those things which we sponded to the question by quot- hoard for ourselves as inalienable ing the verse cited above found possessions really do not belong in this week's sedrah — "and • every man"s hallowed things to us, ultimately. This truth is conveyed by a shall yet belong to him•" He ex- beautiful story told in the Tal- plained further to his inquirer mud. A saintly man was once that he really does not know how walking along the public thor- much he has because he is never oughfare when over a garden sure of his investments, whether wall there came hurtling some they will bring a profit or result stones which nearly struck him. in a total loss. He concluded that Approaching the wall, he looked the only investment that is re- over, and spied a proud house- ally his, is the one he gave to holder clearing stones from his charity — that remains to his garden and disposing of them by credit and is never lost. Our sages engaged in exten- throwing them into the street. Beckoning to him, the saintly sive commentary on the endur- man addressed him as follows: ing value of charity as compared "How long will you continue to to the fleeting nature of human cast stones from that which is not possessions. They emphasize that yours into that which is yours?' man cannot take with him, after The householder, probably think- his earthly existence has ended, ing he was dealing with a lunatic, any of his material possessions answered "It is the other way while his charitable deeds stand round! The house is mine; the him in good stead during his life street is not. I am throwing that time, as well as in the world to which is mine to that which is not come and in the gratitude of fu- ture generations. 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