Mishpatim

This Parsha, which deals primarily with civil law & damages, gives practical application to the Divine revelations at Sinai.  

One of the laws is אם כסף תלוה את עמי את העני עמך , when you will  lend ‎money to My people, to the poor person who is with you. 

The Sefer Chasidim tells us that if Hashem gave wealth to someone who doesn't give money to the poor, then had Hashem given that wealth to someone else who would did, hundreds of other people would have been helped. The poor people will cry out to Hashem & say. " to this person You gave money that could have supported a thousand people! You gave it all to one person, someone who wouldn't help us at all?” 

Hashem will take retribution from the rich man as if he stole from hundreds of poor people. For Hashem will say to him, “I gave you wealth that you should give in accordance with your wealth to poor people & you didn't give it so now I'm going to pay you back as if you stole from them. It's

as if you’re denying that I gave you collateral, for the reason I gave you wealth was to help the poor & you took it for yourself.” 

The אלשיך explains from the words of the posuk, the gemara tells us that if someone leaves all his possessions to one child, ‎we say that he didn't mean to give everything to one child. Rather, he was just putting him in charge of the estate, for there is a general understanding that a father wouldn't cut out the rest of the children from the inheritance.  

So, too, Hashem. He gives wealth to some of His children & leaves the rest poor. Is it possible that Hashem would leave His children with nothing? No! The wealthy are put in charge of Hashem’s estate & should be helping out all those that need. This is why the posuk says אם כסף תלוה את עמי, when you lend money, don't become too conceited, for את העני, the portion of the poor person עמך is with you & you are just giving him his own money.

Reb Shalom Schwadron tells a story that exemplifies this point. There was a city that had a very wealthy man named Zalman, who always had on him a silver ‏ tobacco box from which he would give people tobacco snuff. This town also had a pauper named Moshe; he was so poor that on erev Yom Kippur, he didn't even have food in the house for the seuda mafsekes & went to shul for kol nidrai, hungry. 

When he arrived, he saw Zalman, wrapped in his tallis saying tefilas zakka.  Moshe, hungry & now not able to eat, remembers that‎ Zalman always has sniffing tobacco so he figures that at least he could get some of that.  He approaches Zalman to ask for a sniff, but Zalman responds, “now in the middle of tefilas zakka about to enter Yom Kippur, this is what you need?”

Moshe walked away dejected, looked up at the wall & said, "Hashem am I not even worth a sniff of tobacco?”  

‎That Yom Kippur, it was decreed in heaven that the roles of these two would be reversed. The day after Yom Kippur, Moshe met a relative who asked him why he looked so dejected. He explained how bad his situation was & that he didn't even have bread to eat. 

The relative lent him some money with which he bought some items. Then he sold them at a profit & bought some more. Quickly, he went from a poor man to a wealthy one. As quickly as Moshe became wealthy, Zalman became poor, Every turn Zalman took was a disaster. Every deal he did failed & he went quickly from the richest man in town to the poorest. 

The irony wasn't lost on Zalman & he went to his Rebbi, Reb Levi Yitzchak from Barditchev & told him all that happened, Reb Levi Yitzchak asked him, “did you ever do anything to cause the other man any pain? Did you ever hurt him?” Zalman was thinking & thinking & couldn't come up with anything that he ever did. The rabbi kept telling him there has to be something, think! Finally, he said the only thing I can think of is that once he asked me for "tabbak" in the middle of tefilas zakka & I didn't give him.

The rabbi cried out, “that's it”. Zalman asked, “what can I do to get ‎back my wealth?” The rebbe answered him, nothing it's too late. Since Zalman was crying to him that there has to be something I can do, the rebbi said, “well, if one day you ask him for "tabbak" and he refuses you, then the roles can be reversed again.” 

Years went by & Moshe, now the wealthy man in town, had a daughter who was getting married to the son of  the rav of the town.  It was a huge celebration & everyone in town was invited. As they were under the chuppa, Moshe was taking the Kesuba out of his pocket to give to the rabbi to read when, right then, Zalman walks up to the chuppa, taps Moshe on the shoulder & asks him for a sniff of "tabbak". Moshe looks at him, puts the kesubah back in his pocket & takes out the tobacco box & gives it to Zalman. 

‎Zalman faints! He had been waiting years for the perfect time to ask for the "tabbak" & now his chance was gone. 

This shows us how careful we have to be with other people. One never knows were the other person is coming from. What might seem insignificant, can be what causes them to crash. We have to recognize that whatever we have is a gift from Hashem & we have to use it the way He wants us to!