Community Magazine August 2017

18 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE was no food or water, and no possibility of cultivating the land to produce food. When the people awoke every morning to find their portions of manna outside the camp, they could not forget that Gd sustained them. When the people received water from a rock, they could not forget that Gd sustained them. Moshe wondered, however, whether this realization would remain after the people crossed into the Land of Israel and began working for their livelihood. When a person opens a business, putting in long days from early in the morning until late at night developing his enterprise, and the business gradually takes off, its volume of sales continually rising and its customer base continually expanding, it is exceedingly difficult to see Gd’s involvement. When a person who started off with nothing builds a multimillion dollar enterprise through years of hard work and ingenuity, he is prone to fall into the mindset of, “My strength and the might of my hand achieved all this wealth.” The Inextricable Bond Between Integrity and Faith This mindset has a direct and considerable impact on the way one conducts his commercial and financial affairs. Our sages famously teach that one of the questions we will be asked when we come to the next world is, “ Nasata venatata be’emunah ” – which is generally understood to mean, “Did you conduct your business honestly?” Honesty and integrity are part of the basic foundation of Jewish life, the ABC’s of our religion, and so naturally, the first area of life for which a reckoning will be made is the area of honesty. But the phrase “ nasata venatata be’emunah ” also has a second meaning: “Did you conduct your business with faith, with the belief that your livelihood depends on the Almighty? When you went out to work each morning, did you recognize that Gd determines the success of your efforts, or did you view your success as your own doing, the result of your hard work and skill?” Indeed, these two are inextricably linked. When a person comes to the office recognizing that ultimately, his livelihood depends on Gd, he conducts his affairs differently than somebody who assumes his success depends on his own efforts. A person who runs his business with faith does not even consider for a fleeting moment the possibility of making a profit through dishonesty. After all, would Gd grant him more money if he violates the most basic and elementary laws of the Torah? It is only the nonbeliever, the one who does not recognize Gd as the source of his livelihood, who could entertain such a notion. If a person conducts his business with faith in Hashem, then he necessarily conducts his business with honesty. Faithaffects thenatureof one’s conduct in themarketplace inother ways, as well. If a person believes that his financial success depends on Gd, then he will find himself entangled far less frequently in bitter arguments and lawsuits. Gd wants us to live peacefully with one another, and this often requires us to give in, to forego on something we rightfully believe we deserve to avoid a conflict. Of course, this does not mean we should allow ourselves to be taken advantage of and abused. Certainly, there are situations when we need to defend ourselves and our property from crooks who try to infringe upon our rights. But there are many fights that are simply not worth waging. Dedicated in memory of the pure neshamot of the Sassoon children