Rabbi's Blog

In this week’s parsha Lech Lecha we find a subtle link connecting to last week’s parshas Noach. Parshas Noach is known for its story about the Mabul/flood that was wrought onto the world for three major sins. But it was due to the third and last sin of ‘Chamas’ -stealing that sealed the fate of everyone outside Noach’s immediate family. Chamas is not the outright form of stealing; it is the way in which the person justifies and rationalizes that he is not stealing. The definition of Chamas is extortion. The Eitz Yosef explains chamas to mean forcing others to sell things against their will even though the person is willing to pay more than the objects are worth. The Siach Yitzchak includes throwing money on the counter and seizing the article even though the merchant doesn’t want to sell it. 

 

In this week’s parsha Lech Lecha 13:7 the Torah states: VaYehi Riv Bein Ro’ay Mikneh Avram U’Vein Ro’ay Mikneh Lot, V’HaCanani V’Haprizi Az Yosheiv BaAretz”: “And there was strife between the herdsmen of Avram’’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land”. What caused the strife between the herdsmen? Rashi says since the shepherds of Lot were wicked and pastured their cattle in the fields of others, the shepherds of Avram rebuked them for robbery. But the shepherds of Lot said, “The land was given to Avram and he has no heir; Lot is his heir and therefore this is not robbery.” The Medrash Rabbah points out the mentioning of those other nations were actually living there and Avram had not acquired the land yet. The Mitzvos of the Torah are not one dimensional. They are multi-dimensional and the fulfillment or the violation of any of them comes in many different forms. The Mitzva of ‘Not Stealing’ is no exception to this rule, rather it is actually a prime example as I mentioned earlier. I don’t believe there are many people I know who would actually extort money or items, therefore committing ‘chamas’. 

 

Unfortunately, however, there are individuals I know who commit other forms of ‘stealing’. By no means is anyone perfect, nevertheless when someone does something wrong, such as ‘informally’ stealing, he too will be rebuked and given mussar for it. The following are a few examples of stealing which we may need to be a bit more careful about.

 

The Steipler Gaon RebYaakov Yisroel Kanievsky z”tl in his sefer Kreina D’Agresa writes that a person is liable for stealing if he does not return a sefer to the Beis Medrash after he has finished using it. The time that it takes another person to look through tables rather than going to the shelf where the sefer should have been returned is a victim of stealing. There is no question that if a person doesn’t return the book to the proper shelf he is stealing. Even more blatantly, when people take reference books and seforim out of the Shul, they are outright stealing! 

 

There is another area that has always bothered me, but more recently I have truly become appalled by certain behaviors. Shuls throughout the world provide food to members, non-members and even non-Jews at different events that occur on Shabbos and even during the week. Beth Jacob is well-known for providing food at many different events throughout the week beginning on Sunday mornings and concluding with a weekly Shalosh Seudos on Shabbos afternoons and other times after Shabbos such as Melava Malkas and parent / child learning. 

 

Every Thursday an aroma of cholent emanates from the Shul office. Originally, the cholent was made and left out on one of the counters but we were forced to move it because some people were dipping into the pot in the afternoon. Most recently I was dismayed upon hearing that the beautiful candy arrangements and food displays were ransacked by children AND adults before the Baal Simcha/hosts of the Kiddush and the congregation arrived. From what I understand, people just sat down at the tables when the services in Shul were still going on and had the CHUTZPAH to take food – and candy - and start eating! Where are priorities and basic manners? Would anyone who was invited to someone’s home just start eating before the host brings you to the table? Better yet, would anyone start eating before the host arrives home? 

 

It all boils down to the rational and reasoning that some create in their minds. People do not only feel entitled but even feel a strong sense of ownership when it comes to the Shul. To a degree they are correct, but this “ownership” comes with limitations. Public events and food which the Shul provides to its members are within the members’ rights to consider their own. BUT, at what point does that right come to be? I would like to compare this to a similar idea of how everything belongs to Hashem and yet we are entitled to it. The conditions set by God are two: First, we must own the food or have express permission to take it. Second, the Gemara Brachos explains that the way we acquire the food from Hashem is by making a Bracha over the food. Whoever eats without making a blessing over the food is actually stealing from God. 

 

The food in Shul is not Hefker/ownerless. It is not the property of anyone who can decide to just come and take it. Food that is “found” in the Shul refrigerators are not free for the picking just because it’s there. The process in which a person is permitted to take food from the Shul is by asking permission from an authorized individual of the Shul. Food and items of the Shul are equally owned but not individually owned. When it comes to sponsored events in the Shul, the official time to partake of the food is when the host arrives and, in a sense, invites everyone to start eating. That food and drink is not open to anyone even one second prior to that invitation from the host – who has paid for and is therefore the owner of the food. I am going to re-iterate: it is forbidden (chamas). To put this even more clearly, it is disgusting for anyone to take food before it is equally available to everyone. (Please no excuses by offering to take the food early so the lines aren’t too long. Get in line and wait your turn.)

 

Let us learn a lesson from the generation of the flood and from the shepherds of Lot not to rationale or justify incorrect actions. We all need to make sure we acquire all of our food in a permissible, halachik, courteous manner at all occasions. 

 

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky