לא תחנם (ואתחנן ז:ב)

Nor shall you show them a favor.

During the times of Maran The Sar Shalom of Belz zt’’l, there was only one shoemaker in town who was a non-Jew.  When the first Jewish shoemaker opened a shop, the Sar Shalom was pleased.  When asked why he was so excited, the Sar Shalom answered, “When there was a non-Jewish shoemaker, he always worried that he would transgress on לא תחנם.  For Chazal say that it means not giving them extra presents. And since it wasn’t appropriate for a Rav to bargain for a better price, I always paid fully whatever the non-Jew requested. And I was always bothered. Perhaps he’s requesting more money, and I’m giving him a gift.  Therefore, I can stop worrying about transgressing לא תחנם, now that there’s a Jewish shoemaker in town.”

Filed under Parshas Va’eschanan | The Holy Sar Shalom