Since there are no Rabbi Frand shiurim on the Parsha until Elul, I would like to substitute a vort from other Rabbanim each week, rather than leaving the blog without a vort for shabbos. This week, I am attempting to repeat a vort heard from R' Shraga Kallus as recorded on torahanytime.com (https://www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?v=118375). Same rules as usual apply - I have attempted to reproduce the vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to the maggid shiur.
Rabbi Kallus began by quoting a Yalkut Shimoni (786) who discussed how Reuven, Gad and Menashe wanted to take their portion of the land of Israel on the Eastern bank of the Yarden. The Yalkut states that there are three presents in the world which don't come from Hashem and as a result they don't last - wealth, strength and wisdom. It brings a proof from Korach and Haman who both lost their wealth. It also states that these tribes loved their wealth as the Torah states in this parsha that the tribes loved their sheep and that was why they wanted this portion. However, these tribes also were the first to lose their wealth as they were the first to go into Galus.
Rabbi Kallus then asked - what does it mean that these don't come from Hashem? Of course wealth comes from Hashem, as does wisdom and strength!
Rabbi Kallus asked another question - why is the fact that they loved their wealth a reason that they should lose their money?
Rabbi Kallus answered by quoting the Medrash which states that these are the three things that are most at risk for a person to think that these are because of himself and not because of Hashem. A person will think that he is strong or wise or made his money, because of his own acumen, and not because Hashem gave it to him.
Rabbi Kallus gave the example of a person who works for a bank. He knows the money belongs to the bank and not to him. He does not love the bank's money, he knows its the bank's. And the minute that he loves the bank's money, its no longer the bank's and he thinks that its his. A person needs to constantly recognize that these items come from Hashem and the moment that he thinks that its his, it comes to an end. But for as long as a person knows that he is just keeping Hashem's money and realizes that its all from Hashem, it will not go away.
Rabbi Kallus noted that some people now are saying that perhaps because money will be tight if Covid picks up (G-d forbid) they should cut back on tzedakah. Rabbi Kallus said - what does it mean that the Bnei Gad and Reuven loved their sheep? That they started making decisions based on their sheep, instead of recognizing that the sheep were a tool given to them by Hashem. When a person starts making decisions based on a love of money and wanting to keep it, its a failure to understand that the money comes from Hashem. To this Hashem says - OK you want to go on your own, fine.
But of course a person recognizes that his money comes from Hashem and parnasah comes from Hashem. So how does he fall down this rabbit hole? When he thinks that the money is his and he wants to keep it safe by him, instead of spending it on Tzedakah and mitzvos.
Rabbi Kallus told a story about a Jew in Monsey who was involved in a business transaction with China and lost money, including money from his investors. He repaid all his investors, but was now broke and could not afford to buy more merchandise. He knew a guy in shul and asked him to privately borrow money so that he could buy. How much? $85,000. The person he asked knew that he had the $85,000, but he had been saving it for his daughter's wedding. But maybe that's the yetzer hara? He told him that he had money in the house and would lend him the money. He invited the businessman to his house and then he went down to the basement (where he had been hiding the money in a box).
The prospective lender walked into his home and asked the businessman to wait. But when he went downstairs, he could not find the box. Instead, the entire basement had been cleaned out. In a panic, he went upstairs and asked his wife what happened in the basement? She told him that she was tired of the mess in the basement and had hired a cleanup crew to take care of the mess. When? She had brought them in on Tuesday and now it was already Wednesday evening...but in Monsey they pick up the trash on Mondays and Thursdays. So the lender went rummaging through ten bags of garbage at the curb, until B'H he found the box with the $85,000. He brought the money to the businessman and said to him - you don't know how you saved me. If you would not have come to ask me for money, it would have been gone! Where is the money safe - with you, because its Hashem's money and I am just keeping it.
R' Kallus told one more story about a neighborhood in Yeurshalaim called Batei Vittenberh. Why is it called Batei Vittenberg? There was a man in Yerushalaim called Vittenberg who was a known miser. People knew that he was wealthy, but he never have any money to Tzedakah.
One day Rabbi Shmuel Salant needed to raise money for a mikva and he approached Vittenberg. The man said to him, don't you know that I am a notorious miser? Why are you bothering me for money?
R' Salant responded to him, I know that you wont give me money. But one day after 120, you will go to Shamayim and they will ask - why didn't you give money for the mikva? And you will have an answer - they didn't ask me! And I don't want you to have that excuse, so I am asking for money.
Vittenberg turned white and said - just take the money! I don't want to see it, just go and take all the money that you need for the mikva.
R' Salant responded, no - you need to see it as it will help you overcome your miserliness. And so he did. And after that he began to give tzedakah to poor people, until he reached a point where he donated money to build a development in Yerushaalyim for people who could not afford homes... and it is called Batei Vittenberg.
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