Inspirational Moment

The pasuk states in Bereishis (5:24), “And Chanoch walked with Hashem; then he was no more, for Hashem had taken him.”

The medrash relates that when Chanoch was ready to go up to Shamayim, Hashem Himself accompanied him.

R’ Yisroel Salanter asks:

The pasuk states in Bereishis (5:24), “And Chanoch walked with Hashem; then he was no more, for Hashem had taken him.”

The medrash relates that when Chanoch was ready to go up to Shamayim, Hashem Himself accompanied him.

R’ Yisroel Salanter asks: What great accomplishments did Chanoch achieve in his lifetime that he merited to go up to Shamayim alive? As a matter of fact, we know that he was a simple shoemaker. But, explains Rav Salanter, his labor was totally yashrus. He was careful that each stitch should be made properly, he made sure the leather was of good quality, and the prices he charged were fair.

Although parnassah comes from Hashem, every Yid has the obligation to make sure that his deals, his transactions, and his conduct in business are all al pi halacha. Our working environment is guided by the Choshen Mishpat, the largest section of the Shulchan Aruch.

Man’s struggle to earn a livelihood is not a novel phenomenon. An interesting sheiloh was presented to HaGaon Rav Moshe Feinstein which appears in his response Igros Moshe (Chelek Bais Choshen Mishpat).

A poverty-stricken individual in severe financial straits wanted to know whether it was permissible for him to make donations of blood for which he would be remunerated.

As we know, the gemara tells us (Bava Kamma 91b) that it is prohibited for a person to wound himself, and Tosfos elaborates that even if there is a need he would not be permitted to injure himself.

R’ Moshe quotes this gemara in his teshuvah, stating that it would seem to indicate that even if the person was doing so for monetary compensation it would still be ossur. However, upon deeper investigation, R’ Moshe justifies a strong reason not to prohibit the drawing of blood under the supervision of doctors.

R’ Moshe explains that in earlier generations it was common custom to use bloodletting as a therapeutic measure, as cited in Shabbos 129. The gemara relates that Shmuel would let blood every thirty days, until he was 40 years old. And then he would do it once every two months until he was 60. After the age of 60 he would do it once in three years. Consequently, although this is not the common practice today, bloodletting obviously possesses some curative powers.

Moreover, says R’ Moshe, doctors and technicians are very skilled nowadays and donating blood is almost painless, especially for the individual who is not squeamish.

Therefore, concludes R’ Moshe, it would not be proper to argue against somebody who chose to donate blood, even if he was doing so for the purpose of being compensated.

HoRav Chaskel Levenstein stated that every individual in the world understands that life and death are totally within the purview of Hashem. Any ma’amin baHashem knows that Hashem is the sole ruler in matters of life and death. Likewise, every Jew must realize that Hashem is the exclusive arbiter of each person’s parnossoh, and it is not dependent on our personal strong points. If one has not fully synthesized this principle within his hashkafos, then he must intensify his avodah in emunas Hashem.