#387 (s5765-30/ 26 Adar II 5765)

Wine More Valuable Than Money

After listening to the sad tale, Rabbi Yechezkel Landau of Prague promised to intervene.

Wine More Valuable Than Money

There was once a poor melamed (teacher) who was a follower of Rabbi Yechezkel Landau of Prague. Unable to provide a dowry for his daughter, he decided to look for a job in Hungary. He found a teaching position in a small village, where most of the town's income came from the production of wine. The teacher stayed there for several years, until he saved up what he hoped was enough money.

At the same time that he was ready to leave, a wealthy wine merchant from Prague had just arrived in town to buy wine for Passover. He agreed to take the teacher back to Prague, provided he supervised the wine barrels along the way (to make sure they weren't tampered with, which would render them not kosher). The teacher was grateful for the offer and they set out.

That Friday afternoon they stopped at an inn. The teacher, who was carrying a large bundle of money and was afraid to entrust it to just anyone, decided to hide it among the wine barrels for the duration of the Shabbat, after which he would retrieve it on Saturday night, when Shabbat ended. Satisfied that his money was secure, he went off to prepare for the holy Shabbat.

The following evening he was shocked to discover that the bundle was gone. It did not take him long to figure out that the only person who could have stolen it was the wine merchant, who must have seen him hiding the money and was unable to withstand the temptation.

Although his first impulse was to directly confront him, he decided to appeal to the man's conscience instead.

Explaining that he had worked hard to provide a dowry for his daughter, the teacher asked the merchant if he had perhaps hidden the money in a more secure location. But the merchant made a show of being insulted by the very idea. He denied the theft, and even blamed the teacher for having been foolish enough to leave his money where it was unsafe.

When the teacher came right out and begged, the merchant threatened to leave him and continue on to Prague by himself if he did not stop "all that nonsense." He was perfectly willing, however, to make a donation toward the girl's wedding expenses.

"I'm not looking for charity," the teacher replied. "If you didn't take my money, I apologize." Seeing that there was nothing to gain by pursuing the matter, he resolved to consult with Rabbi Landau upon returning to Prague.

After listening to the teacher's sad tale, Rabbi Yechezkel Landau promised to intervene. The wine merchant, he revealed, was due to arrive shortly to ask for his rabbinical approval that the wine was "kosher for Passover." In the meantime, he suggested that the teacher go into an adjoining room and rest.

A few minutes later the wine merchant showed up at the Rabbi's house. "As in years past," he explained, "I have just returned from Hungary with a large quantity of wine for Passover. I can assure you that it was completely supervised throughout all stages of its production, from the crushing of the grapes until its arrival in Prague in sealed barrels. And as one of your own disciples acted as supervisor, may I assume that you will approve it?"

"Yes, well," the Rabbi hesitated, "there seems to be a slight problem ..."

"What kind of problem?" the merchant asked nervously.

"Your supervisor has told me that he hid some money among the barrels and it disappeared."

"But surely you don't suspect me of having stolen it!" the merchant said.

"G-d forbid that I would accuse you," the Rabbi assured him. "But if you didn't take it, or let us say 'borrow,' then someone else did. And if a stranger had access to the wine, well, then there's no way to ensure that it wasn't tampered with. In a case like this, I just couldn't vouch for it..."

The merchant paled when he realized that the money he would lose from the potential sale of the wine was far more than the amount he had stolen. He immediately admitted the theft and promised to make restitution.

But the Rabbi wasn't finished. "It's more complicated than that. If you stole on Shabbat, the kashrut of the wine is still in question."

The merchant insisted that the theft had occurred before sundown, but the Rabbi refused to believe him.

"How do I know that you aren't admitting to something you didn't do, and are willing to pay the teacher to receive my authorization?"

At that point the merchant broke down in tears and declared that he was willing to swear he spoke the truth. "I will do anything you say," he cried.

"All right," the Rabbi replied. "I can see that you are sincere. However, this is what you must do: In addition to returning the money, you must make a large contribution towards the girl's dowry. This will partially atone for your transgression and the aggravation you caused an innocent man. Provided, of course, that he is willing to forgive you."

Needless to say, both parties were more than happy with the decision. And the wine merchant learned a valuable lesson.
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[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition on www.lchaimweekly.org (#711).]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Yechezkel Landau (1713 - 12 Tevet 1789), of Opatow, Poland, was appointed Chief Rabbi of Prague in 1746 and head of its Yeshiva in 1755. He is best known for his monumental work of Halachic and Talmudic responsa entitled Noda B'Yehuda. He was also a strong community leader and a skillful negotiator with governments during the numerous wars and threatened expulsions that plagued the Jewish community.

Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.