Chazon Yoshiyahu
Holy letters to guide souls and kindle them toward the path of the Tree of Life
From our Master, the Light of the World, the Admor Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, Shlita
Friday, 27th of Shevat, 5786
“If you lend money to My people, to the poor man among you, do not act toward him as a creditor; do not charge him interest” (Exodus 22:24).
Our master, the holy “Ohr HaChaim,” explains that while the word “If” (Im) usually implies a choice, in the Torah it often denotes an obligation. He asks: Why does the Creator speak in a way that suggests doubt? Perhaps because the Torah wanted to alert a person to a situation where his heart might grow haughty because he has wealth and his fellow man lacks. He might say, “Why did G_d not give my fellow man his needs? Why did He leave him lacking?”
Our master (the Ohr HaChaim), in his holy way, which is a symbol of simplicity, depth, and purity, provides words that enter the depths of the soul. There are segulah-like (spiritual) powers in his teachings beyond the simple commandment of Torah study. Therefore, our ancestors and rabbis were meticulous in studying the “Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh.” This is not just Torah study to understand the verse; it is a Torah of the “Shekhinah” (Divine Presence), to sweeten judgments, arouse mercy, and break the walls that separate a person from his Creator.
It is known that our master explains the verse “visiting the guilt of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:7). This starts with the person himself, through his sin, or it starts from his son. If it starts with the father, it lasts four generations; if it starts with the son, it lasts five generations.
One might ask: How can a person be saved from the deeds of his ancestors for which he is being punished? Only through his own merit, through the merit of our masters, so long as the children are careful and guarded from sin. Then they are saved from the iniquity of the fathers. Only if they continue to sin do they drag the iniquity of the fathers upon themselves.
Behold, the power of our master’s Torah is a wall and a shield. His teachings instill true fear of Heaven in a person and thus, throughout the week, he can pass through the pits and obstacles of his soul. These teachings straighten the crooked paths and leap over the falls caused by the “Evil Inclination” (Yezer Hara).
The world is merely a corridor before the next world. This is the foundation of the request of our forefather Jacob: “Bread to eat and a garment to wear.”
The difficulty for every Jew regarding livelihood is that every person has his own mind and opinion, and no two opinions are alike. One person is pained by his lack of livelihood; another is pained by something else. Our master’s Torah descends to the end of the walls of the soul and helps a person understand that everything is by Divine Decree.
Our master explains that the verse informs us that G_d, in His kindness, provides for every man according to his lack. Even if a person sins and is not worthy of his sustenance, it is given to him in a roundabout way. Sometimes a person receives his livelihood with shame and disgrace when it is decreed upon him in judgment.
Our master teaches us a great principle: The Holy One, Blessed be He, bestows a great abundance every year on Rosh Hashanah. There are years of great blessing, even if they are years of great suffering. Money is given to the world, but the distribution is according to the Divine Decree.
There is a person whose portion is large, but due to his bad deeds or Heavenly accounts, his portion is given to another. The money intended for him reaches someone else. This is due to his sins or rectifications (Tikunim) he must undergo. He might be pained by his fellow’s success, but he must know that the money held by his fellow actually belongs to him, and it passed to the other for his own rectification.
Our master emphasizes that the Heavenly calculation is the most accurate. The Creator calculates everything and performs the correct judgment, much more than a human court.
When a person feels pain and sorrow, saying, “My business is excellent, my ideas are great, why am I not succeeding while my friend is?” he must know that this comes from G_d’s judgment. His money is with others to atone for his deeds and for his own rectification. This is the secret explained by our rabbis: Rabbi Akiva, before he repented, said, “Who will give me a scholar that I may bite him like a donkey?” Why such hatred? Because Akiva saw that the scholars had a great spiritual portion that he did not yet have. He felt his portion was with them.
This is one of the reasons for the crowns given to Israel at Sinai and taken after the Golden Calf. Every Shabbat, these crowns return. This is why we study the “Ohr HaChaim” on Shabbat—to return the lost crowns.
When you have mercy on others, the Holy One, Blessed be He, has mercy on you. Even if you are not worthy, G_d fulfills “And He shall give you mercy and have compassion on you.” He puts mercy in the heart of the one holding your money, and he will release what is yours to you.
How many times does a person harden his heart? Because he thinks it is his own, and he doesn’t understand why he should give to you. Thus, the gates are closed and it is difficult for him in life and livelihood.
A person must know that the trial he faces is also faced by his fellow. When a person stands firm and does not take what is not his, it is a great trial. If you take something that is not yours and keep it, you are taking a “curse” into your home. If you give what is not yours (but belongs to your friend) with joy and love, you merit a “treasure of free gifts” from Heaven.
Woe to us when we think that money in our hands is ours, when in reality it belongs to the Torah, to charity, or to a fellow man. If a person takes money that is not rightfully his, he loses the true sight and takes a “boundary” (limit) that belongs to the Torah. He becomes a “thief of the Torah.”
Our holy rabbis were careful not to sleep at night if they had charity money or money belonging to a poor person in their possession. They viewed it as a foreign fire, a theft from the Creator.
In our generation, the Evil Inclination has strengthened to permit what is forbidden. A person might prevent a fellow from salvation, steal from the Torah, steal from the poor, and transgress the Ten Commandments, yet think he is doing a mitzvah. This is “money that will bring evil to its owners.”
When one has charity money or others’ money, they must return it. We must be extremely careful not to withhold good from its owners.
We saw this with Jacob our Forefather. After the tribes killed the people of Shechem, Jacob took the spoil they took and buried it. He did not want money that was not his or his children’s to be among the people of Israel.
Therefore, we must be careful in our community with charity and the money of others. Taking money that belongs to the poor, the sick, or for the redemption of captives—one who holds onto such money brings hardships upon himself.
We have seen over thirty-two years that many people who held such money lost their world, their success, and the blessing was taken from them. But those who were faithful messengers to support the Torah and the poor saw great blessing.
May it be the will [of G_d] that these words serve as a memory, with great love.
Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto
