A Simple Mitzvah in Haifa, and a Bigger Lesson for Life
A resident of Haifa lost a large sum of money this week while shopping ברחבי the city. The store owner who found the loss saw on security cameras how the money fell, and with the help of the public, posted the details on social media. Within a few hours, the money was returned to its owner, and here one sees with emotion the great virtue of love and fraternity among people, fulfilling the mitzvah of returning a lost item with excellence and promptness.
But it must be remembered that the Torah says, "You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep go astray and ignore them; you shall surely return them to your brother." It should be emphasized and expanded that just as the well-known positive commandment is to return lost money to its owner, so one must strive to return lost souls, as it is written in Psalms (119:176), "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant," meaning to return them to holiness with bonds of love and appreciation, and not to turn a blind eye to any person. Rabbi Chafetz Chaim, of blessed memory, used to say that if the Torah commanded returning physical money, it is clear that there is a commandment to return spiritual money, and that is the soul of a person who has strayed from the path. Indeed, it is written in Tractate Sanhedrin, "Whoever teaches his fellow’s son Torah, Scripture regards him as if he had fathered him." The depth of the matter is apparent, that just as father and mother are partners in the physical side, and even after the child is born they raise the physical side that needs food, drink, and the rest of a person’s needs, so a lecturer raises the spiritual side of his students through Torah study. Therefore, when the lecturer understands the value of his actions, he will not belittle the number of listeners who came before him, just as with the birth of an only son, great effort is invested in raising and educating him fully.
The Gaon Rabbi Chaim Moshe Katz, may he live long, the rabbi of the 'Racham' community in western Bnei Brak, who delivers the largest Daf Yomi class in the city and hosts a program on Radio 'Kol Barama', arrived at an educators’ convention and began to cry from emotion at the sight before him. When asked the reason for the great emotion, given that the mashgiach gives many talks over long years, he answered sharply that here before his eyes he saw thousands of students standing behind those educators seated in the hall, since their words will influence them and have consequences for their students for generations. And במיוחד, there is a promise from Rabbi Chafetz Chaim, of blessed memory, for one who benefits the public, as brought in Mishnah Berurah in the laws of Shabbat regarding those who urge shopkeepers to close before the day grows sacred. He wrote that they will merit sons who are great Torah leaders. The Sha'ar HaTziyun cites a source from the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Samuel I, that Elkanah urged the Israelites to ascend for the pilgrimage festivals, and as a reward Samuel descended from him. Another source is that the Torah says in Parashat Shemot, "And the midwives gave life to the children," and it is stated in Tractate Sotah that in reward for this, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them priestly, Levitical, and royal houses. The Sages said in Tractate Derech Eretz, "If you wished to honor a poor man, you will have sons who are learned in Torah and who fulfill mitzvot in Israel." Rabbi Chafetz Chaim, of blessed memory, added in his book Dvar Beito that this is the reward for one who strives to give life to the children of God, for his reward will greatly increase and he will have sons who will be a sign and glory in Israel.
