Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

"… and G-d had blessed Avraham in everything." (24,1)

A person's sustenance is set for him from Rosh Hashanah to Rosh Hashanah

The extent to which our Rabbis believed that everything is from Him forever and ever – we cannot describe and imagine.

Once there was only one print shop in Bnei Brak, owned by a Jew called Rav Shlomo Cohen. One day a competing printer opened up across the street from him. Rav Shlomo Cohen saw that, went to the competitor and knocked on the door. The owner was afraid to open the door - who knows what he will do to him because of his effort to take away business?

After he opened the door, Rav Shlomo entered the print shop and told the owner, "I see you have machines just like mine, listen to me- by this machine you should work in such a manner, it will save you paper, time and money; and by that machine you should do like this because it will be more efficient." And so he continued to give the owner tips how to succeed. Moreover, before he left, he told the owner, "I have many printing templates, if you're missing anything come to me and I'll give you."

In Rav Shlomo's house they were very angry."How can one do such a thing?! The fact that he opened a competing store opposite you is first class nerve! And for you to go and help him?!!"

Rav Shlomo told them: "A person's livelihood is set for him from one Rosh Hashanah to the next Rosh Hashanah and therefore there is no one in the world who can take a shekel away from me! Until now I had to work eight hours a day and now that there is a competitor, certainly half of the customers will go to him so I will only have to work four hours a day; and all this I without his being able to take one shekel away from me! As a result every day I have four more hours to learn Torah- and it is all in the merit of this Jew – so shouldn't I be grateful to him?"

When the Gaon Rav Avrham Yeshaya Karelitz ob'm (the Chazon Ish) heard about this he wrote in his sefer, "Emunah U'Bitachon" – "How much light and holiness does this man add to the world – fortunate is he and fortunate is his generation."

SHABBAT SHALOM!!