By Rabbi David Ashear
Noam*, a young man living in Eretz Yisrael, worked in a large office building that housed many diamond dealers. His job was simple but steady—he was the errand boy. All day long he would run up and down the different floors, delivering small packages, picking up merchandise, and sometimes going out to buy lunch for the employees. Though it wasn’t glamorous work, he was grateful for the opportunity and did it faithfully.
One ordinary afternoon, as he walked down the hallway, something on the floor caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up—his heart skipped a beat. In his hand was a small but dazzling diamond. He could tell immediately that this was not a trivial stone. Unsure of its exact value, he discreetly asked someone outside the building for an estimate. The reply stunned him:
“This gem is worth more than you would earn doing your job for thirty years!” The words rang in his ears. Thirty years! Noam suddenly found himself facing an enormous test. On the one hand, no one had seen him pick it up. He could easily pocket the stone and no one would ever know. On the other hand, diamonds have very clear identifying signs, and it would not be difficult to trace the rightful owner.
As the battle raged within him, his emunah began to speak louder than his temptation. If Hashem wants to give me this kind of wealth, Noam thought, He can do it in an honest way, without my having to do something wrong. With that clarity, Noam printed and posted notices all over the building, announcing that a diamond had been found, inviting the owner to come forward with identifying signs. Before long, a dealer approached him and described the stone in precise detail. It was clear he was the true owner.
When Noam handed it back, the man stared at him in amazement. “I have to be honest with you,” the dealer said. “I don’t think I would have returned such a diamond if I had found it. And yet you did it— quietly, without fanfare, with complete integrity. That tells me a lot about who you are. You know, I’ve been searching for an honest and trustworthy personal assistant for quite some time. I think you’re exactly the person I’ve been looking for.”
Right there on the spot, he offered Noam the position—with a salary far beyond what Noam had been earning running errands. But the greatest reward came later. After seeing firsthand Noam’s loyalty, humility, and honesty, the wealthy diamond dealer approached him with another life-changing offer.
“Noam,” he said warmly, “I would like you to meet my daughter.” One meeting led to another, and in time Noam married her. What had begun as a moment of temptation in a hallway had turned into the very path through which Hashem sent him his bashert. Noam not only gained parnassah and honor from his integrity—he gained his shidduch. The diamond that he returned was worth more than thirty years of salary, but through his emunah and honesty, Hashem gave him a far greater diamond: his wife, his home, and his future. (Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “Living Emunah on Parnassah”)
Reprinted from the Ki Savo 5785 email of The Weekly Vort.
