They represented a broad range of professions and different
walks of observant Jewish life, but the more than 400
participants in last Sunday's halacha conference for
business people and professionals shared a single objective:
to refine and update their knowledge of the halachic
approach to ethical business practices. Sponsored by Agudath
Israel of America's Commission on Torah Projects, the
conference included several symposia at which noted halachic
experts clarified important and practical issues in
Choshen Mishpat as well as several workshops that
focused on ethical dilemmas specific to certain businesses
and professions.
Setting the tone for the day-long proceedings was the
galvanizing keynote luncheon address by Rabbi Matisyahu
Salomon, mashgiach ruchani of Bais Medrash Govoha in
Lakewood.
The session commenced with remarks by Commission on Torah
Project chairman Gedalia Weinberger and co-chair Shlomo
Gottesman, and an opening address by Agudath Israel's vice
president for government and public affairs, Chaim Dovid
Zwiebel.
In his talk, Mr. Zwiebel recalled that the legendary, late
leader of Agudas Yisroel, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, zt"l,
would always consult with a member of the Moetzes
Gedolei Hatorah before agreeing to speak or sit on a panel
within a setting he deemed questionable. "I was taught,"
Rabbi Sherer explained, "that whenever I walk into a room,
with me walks the Chofetz Chaim and the Imrei Emes and Reb
Chaim Ozer and the Tchortkover Rebbe and Reb Aharon Kotler
and, yb"l, the members of the Moetzes Gedolei
HaTorah. So the question is not simply can Moshe Sherer walk
into this room, but can Moshe Sherer bring the Chofetz Chaim
into this room?"
Each of us -- and particularly those of us whose professions
and businesses bring us into regular contact with the
outside world -- is under a spotlight, said Rabbi Zwiebel,
reminding his listeners that "every individual through his
actions tells the world something that will cause it to
speak about either the beauty of the Torah lifestyle or
chas vesholom the opposite." And like Rabbi Sherer,
every individual who walks into a room is accompanied by the
Chofetz Chaim, by the Torah hakedosha, and even,
kevayochol, by Hashem Yisborach Himself. How we act
in that room reflects not only on ourselves, Rabbi Zwiebel
declared, but on all of Klal Yisroel.
Rabbi Salomon opened the keynote address with words of
praise for the many who turned out for the Sunday
conference, referring to them as mevakshei Hashem.
While people often characterize mevakshei Hashem as
those who try to become close to Hashem by entirely closing
themselves off from the material world, the true
mevakshei Hashem, the Mashgiach averred, are those
who seek the Ribono Shel Olam in their day-to-day
lives and understand that even the most mundane act is
elevated when informed by Torah and the rotzon
Hashem.
Halacha dictates every aspect of professional behavior,
Rabbi Salomon stressed again and again in his talk, noting
that when a professional sits in his office, he must see
himself as the "embodiment of halacha" and that when he
conducts his affairs in accordance with Hakodosh Boruch
Hu's will, he achieves the ultimate deveikus
beHashem.
Honesty and integrity must govern our actions in our
personal lives too, the Mashgiach declared. Our children
must learn from our example that "a word is a word" and a
promise given is a promise kept. Midas ho'emes --
which, as evidenced by such examples as Avrohom's covenant
with Avimelech, predates even matan Torah -- must be
recognized as basic and essential to our humanity. Indeed,
since Klal Yisroel said na'aseh venishma
before they got the Torah, it can even be said that it is
middas ho'emes that obligates us to keep the Torah
and not the other way around, Rabbi Salomon observed. Yet,
too often today, he lamented, we use the Torah to find a
lomdishe loophole for breaking our word.
Rabbi Solomon pointed out that when the Mishna in Bava
Kama lists the principal categories of damages, it uses
the rather unusual term maveh in reference to an
odom hamazik. The term is borrowed from a posuk
in Yeshayahu that promises that the geulah
will come "im tevayun bayu -- if you will but
plead to Hashem." A maveh, then, is one who davens
for geulah.
Why does the Mishna use this particular loshon
to refer to an odom? The Chofetz Chaim cites a
medrash that tells us that a tefillah zakah can only
be offered by one who "holds nothing in his hand" that
doesn't rightfully belong to him. Gezel prevents
tefilloh from being accepted because it demonstrates
a person's lack of trust in Hashem's ability to provide for
him if he simply conducts his business in the proper way.
Such a person is, in effect, saying to the Ribono Shel
Olam, "I don't need Your help." When this same person
then davens to Hashem for help, his tefillos
will certainly be rejected. By using the word maveh,
Rabbi Salomon explained, the mishna is telling us
that our tefillos for geulah can't be
effective if we have not fully paid debts like those
incurred by having damaged the property of others.
Further illustrating this idea, Rabbi Salomon related the
Semag's account of his travels among the Jews in golus.
In every city he admonished his listeners not to become
immersed in materialism, warning that the pursuit of
luxuries ultimately leads to gezel. Only by embracing
emes in their dealing with Jews and non-Jews alike
could they hope to be among the shearis Yisroel --
those who will be left at the time of Moshiach.
And he explained why honesty is the middah that
enables one to merit the redemption. If the nations of the
world were to witness the redemption of liars and thieves,
the coming of Moshiach would create a chilul Hashem
in which Hakodosh Boruch Hu Himself would be
implicated, the Mashgiach explained. Conversely, if the
shearis Yisroel are those who live a life of emes,
the nations will proclaim that Hashem has brought
redemption to a deserving people and the ultimate kiddush
Hashem will thus be created.
Rabbi Salomon closed his address by urging the rapt
gathering to take home with them this very message -- indeed
to relay it to their children -- that only by strengthening
the middah of emes will Klal Yisroel
merit the geula bekorov.
