The story begins in 1969 in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. At 310 Crown Street, to be specific. That was the address of the Yeshiva of Crown Heights (now its a Chabad High School for girls - Beis Rivka). But then it was a yeshiva and a shul. In 1969 there was a break-in, and among the stolen items were two sterling silver Torah ornaments, known as Rimonim. The story fast-forwards a bit - 34 years to be specific - and Crown Heights Yeshiva still exists, but not in Crown Heights anymore, in Mill Basin, to be specific. The year is 2003 and the yeshiva receives an anonymous phone call. The caller informs the yeshiva that two silver Torah ornaments with the yeshiva's name engraved on them are going to be put up for auction on eBay, the internet's largest auction website. The people at the yeshiva call the police, and they pursue matters. The result of their pursuit is the recovery of the two Rimonim, in fairly decent condition. Where they were and how many hands they went through during their 34 year absence from the Yeshiva of Crown Heights is unknown. But the fact is, they were returned to the yeshiva by the police. Only problem was, the yeshiva is no longer in its own building and has no shul of its own. Hence, no need for the Rimonim. And so they collected dust for a few months. The story now continues with Rabbi Yaakov Schroit, principal emeritus, and still active with the yeshiva. He was one of the people to whom the police returned the Rimonim. And he did not like the idea that these 34-year absent Rimonim were not adorning and beautifying a Sefer Torah, as they once had, long ago. So Rabbi Schroit made the yeshiva an offer, and he purchased the Rimonim. Wouldn't it be nice to bring those long-lost Rimonim to Eretz Yisrael? This thought was quickly translated into action, because that is the kind of person Rabbi Schroit is. And so, he brought the Rimonim to Jerusalem when he came for two family smachot - a brit and a bar mitzva of two great-grandsons. And here's our favorite part of the story. Rabbi Yaakov Schroit, just this past week, gave the Rimonim to the Seymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center (the OU Israel Center) where they now rest in the Aron Kodesh of the Wolinetz Family Shul - Ohel Shmuel, and look forward to adorning our Sifrei Torah. The gift to the Center is in honor of
Rabbi Schroit's daughter Elke and son- in-law Nachman Kupietzky, both of
whom graduated from Crown Heights Yeshiva when those Rimonim were being
used in their original home. Our warm gratitude and thanks to Rabbi Schroit and the K's for this special gift and for making us part of this unusual story. P.P.S. (personal post script): Not only
is Rabbi Yaakov Schroit a former principal of Yeshiva of Crown Heights, as
mentioned earlier, but he was in charge of the Junior Congregation of the
yeshiva, and directly responsible for teaching hundreds of boys and girls
how to daven properly in shul, how to respect davening and shul, how to
layn, be baalei t'fila, and gabbai. But more than that - on a personal
note - he was my third grade rebbe. He taught me how to daven, how to layn,
how to read Rashi. And he instilled in us a love of davening and Torah to
go along with the knowledge and skills. Do you remember your third grade teacher? I do. And I am privileged to still know him these many years later. A person has many teachers in his lifetime. Usually, only a few are remembered fondly. And it is rare to have the opportunity to thank the special ones face-to-face when they can see the results of their labors and you can be MAKIR TOV to them for their efforts. Rabbi Schroit, on behalf of the Israel
Center, I thank you for the gift of the Rimonim; on behalf of myself and
my family, I thank you for helping make that which the Rimonim adorn,
special to me. - PC Q I do editing work for papers that are being presented for acceptance by scholarly publications. I am trying to work out a system for charging which is fair both for my clients and for me. The problem is that it is very difficult to anticipate how long a given paper will take to edit. I think that the most equitable system is to charge by the hour, but most clients demand to know a fixed rate in advance. So, I usually charge according to a system I have developed for estimates. However, sometimes I receive significantly less than I deserve, because the work was more difficult than anticipated, while other times, the opposite is true. I feel bad taking more than I deserve, but if I return money when I came out ahead and don't ask for more when I estimate to my detriment, I'll be losing out. What should I do? A Our favorite questions are monetary ones that are asked not to try to gain money but to make sure that the money a person has is rightfully his. The halachic issue involved is ona'ah (overpricing), a Torah prohibition with monetary applications, including returning the extra money or voiding the agreement when the ona'ah is significant enough. Among the cases where the full laws do not apply are the sale of land and the wages of a worker, which are indirectly compared to the former (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 227: 29,33). However, when one is paid by the job (as you usually are) and not by time, then the Shulchan Aruch (ibid.:36) rules that the regular laws apply. In truth, even regarding lands, the prohibition of overpricing applies, with the difference being in the monetary ramifications. Since you want to do the right thing, such a leniency is irrelevant for you. You imply that one might look at the fairness of pricing on average over the course of the business, in general, as opposed to the appropriateness of each, individual fee. Of course, if we determine that a certain price is unfairly high, it doesn't help that someone else got the better of you a different time. Even if the same person got a good deal in the past, if you decided not to demand compensation at the time (thus, being mochel), you cannot make up for it by charging too much later. However, the fact that you often underprice is cogent for the following reason. Overpricing is forbidden when one goes beyond the accepted range of prices. Several factors help determine what the range is. One of them is the chance that the work will be much greater than average. Consider the following example. A taxi driver usually receives $40 on his meter to take someone to midtown Manhattan. If he takes someone on a fixed rate, he has a right to ask for more than the median rate, because frequently he can sit in traffic for two hours. His set price of $50 represents the market rate, which takes the opportunity and risks into account. Thus, as long as your estimates are within the market range and your clients agree in advance, you do not need worry about fluctuations in either direction and can accept payment as agreed. You should, though, consider the root
of your occasional overestimation of the work. If you find a given paper
easier than expected, you may have been concentrating extra well or it is
your good fortune that you received a relatively easy paper. (See an
analogous, but not identical case - Shulchan Aruch, CM 334:3). But if you
realize that your estimate was inherently flawed (i.e. you miscounted the
number of pages, you used the key for non-native English speakers for a
native one) it is appropriate to adjust the fee downward. The fact that
you also make mistakes to your detriment does not morally justify keeping
a flawed estimate in your favor. (One could argue that the flawed price
might still be within the range of market value or present after-the-fact
reasons not to have to change an estimate. However, that approach does not
befit the level of integrity you so laudably strive for). Your willingness
to forgo questionably deserved money should help you continue to find
favor in the eyes of Hashem… and present and future clients. "Why are you looking for him?" asked the Chafetz Chaim. "I would like a blessing from him," replied the man. "You are wasting your time," said the Chafetz Chaim. He is nothing special. He is a common man." When the man heard how the Chafetz Chaim had been demeaned, he became furious and slapped the Chafetz Chaim's face. When the man finally arrived in the city and came to the Chafetz Chaim's home, he saw whom he slapped - and he fainted. When he came to, the Chafetz Chaim told
him, "I want you to know that I deserved that punishment. I also learned a
lesson from it - one is not even permitted to talk lashon hara about
himself." When one uses a remote to zap (that's
the English term) through the TV channels, it is called SHILTUT,
acombination of SHALATand SHITUT (roaming). The questioner understood that the danger was imminent, and he continued to ask innocently: "If the oppressor succeeds in destroying a portion of the Jewish people (G-d forbid), who will be the remaining camp that will escape?" "This, too," replied the Chafetz Chayim, "is stated explicitly in Scripture [in this week's haftarah]: "On Mount Zion there will be a remnant, and it will be holy (Ovadya 1:17)." The questioner left the Chafetz
Chayim's presence completely shaken and agitated over the imminent
destruction of European Jewry. Yet he felt confident that our Holy Land
would be saved. (Chafetz Chayim Al HaTorah) But there is another reason why Ya'akov bought the field in Shechem: Ibn Ezra comments on the above-cited verses: "The Torah mentions this to demonstrate that Eretz Israel has great virtues, and he who has a portion in it is considered as [if he has] a portion in the World-to-come." Ya'akov was not only running away from oppression; he was also running towards a higher spiritual plane. So, whether you wish to return to the
Jewish homeland to escape present or future persecution or to attain a
portion in the World-to-come, follow Ya'akov Avinu's example and buy a
portion in the Land before it is too late. But of all his preparations, Ya'akov's prayer to Hashem is most memorable. He is distressed that he might not be worthy of salvation; he is full of trepidation that he might have to kill his enemies. He is afraid and requests of G-d: "Rescue me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esav" (Breishit 32:12). Ya'kov's usage of the seemingly redundant double expression - "My brother-Esav" - sums up the Jewish nation's condition. We clearly need fortification from our external enemy (Esav) who wishes to cast us down physically; but so do we need to protect ourselves from those who pretend to be our brothers while they yet plan our spiritual destruction. It sounds only too familiar. Shabbat Shalom, [The Parshat Vayishlach Homepage]
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