Becky's husband dies. It was not until sometime after that that Becky could finally speak about what a thoughtful and wonderful man her late husband had been.
"Sidney thought of everything," she told some friends. "Just before he died, Sidney called me to his bedside and handed me 3 envelopes." "Becky," he told me, "I have put all my last wishes in these 3 envelopes. After I am gone, open them in their order and do exactly as I have written. Only then can I rest in peace."
"What was in the 1st envelope?" her friends asked.
"It contained $5,000 with a note, 'Please use this money to buy me a nice coffin.' So I bought a beautiful mahogany coffin for him."
"The 2nd envelope contained $10,000 with a note, 'Please use this for a nice funeral.' I made Sidney a very dignified funeral and bought all his favorite foods for the Shiva, including some fine single malt scotch."
"And the 3rd envelope?" asked her friends.
"The 3rd envelope contained $25,000 with a note, 'Please use this to buy a nice stone.' So I did." Becky then held up her hand and pointed to her 5-carat diamond ring. "So," said Becky, "How do you like my stone?"
Statement: When you don’t have a coin to flip or dice to roll—to choose who goes first in a game, almost every kid knows the game ROCK/PAPER/SCISSORS. The rules are simple: Scissor cuts paper, rock breaks scissors, and paper covers rock.
Question: Ever since I was a kid, I was always puzzled—how could “paper” beat “rock?” Just by merely covering it? How long do you think the paper could withstand a rock, especially if one throws it at a paper? So, as silly as this sounds, how can paper beat rock?
Answer: The Baal Shem Tov often said, “Everything one sees or hears is to be taken as a lesson in how to serve the Creator better.” Therefore, what can we learn from this? Perhaps the reason could be seen in the following Talmudic saying:
Ten Strong Entities
It is taught that Rabbi Yehuda says: “Great is charity, in that it brings closer the redemption...” He would say, Ten strong entities were created in the world, one stronger than the other:
- A mountain is strong, but iron cuts it.
- Iron is strong, but fire melts it.
- Fire is strong, but water extinguishes it.
- Water is strong, but clouds bear it.
- Clouds are strong, but wind disperses them.
- Wind is strong, but the human body withstands it.
- The human body is strong, but fear breaks it.
- Fear is strong, but wine dispels it.
- Wine is strong, but sleep drives it off.
- And death is stronger than them all.
But Tzedakah saves a person from death as it is written: “And Tzedakah saves one from death.”
Stones & Rocks
After a person's death, the gravesite's markings were originally done with rocks and stones. In later years, a larger stone called a Matzeiva (tombstone) with engraving on it was used. The placement of stones also alerted the Kohanim that the resting place of a deceased person was nearby and they should not come near.
Nowadays, most Ashkenazim still have the custom of putting a stone on top of the Matzeiva before leaving the gravesite.
Some explain the meaning of this custom is to leave a sign that one had visited the grave out of respect for the dead.
Power in Paper
Although paper money here in the United States started only in 1861, paper currency has been around since the Tang dynasty in China around the 6th century—when it was called “flying money.” This type of currency then became popular in Europe in the 17th century. With the introduction of paper as currency and its acceptance by the masses, it is no wonder that when used for Tzedakah, paper is even mightier than death, symbolized by the rock. Since we learned that “Tzedakah (paper) delivers from death (the tombstone),” this helps answer why paper beats rock. The truth is that it doesn’t beat rock but rather Tzedakah (paper) covers, it protects, it shields. Additionally, as opposed to rock and scissors originating from inanimate materials, paper is made from plants or trees—symbols of sustenance and growth, which is the objective of giving Tzedakah.
Lesson
As digital currency becomes increasingly popular, using paper money for Tzedakah nowadays has become rare. Even most individuals collecting Tzedakah at local shuls now have digital card readers that accept debit and credit cards—with some machines providing a paper receipt. Yet, this is a good sign since the Talmud relates that Moshiach will not come “until a P’ruta (about a nickel) will cease from the pocket.”
Although many people no longer carry cash in their pockets (and certainly not nickels), Tzedakah has nevertheless increased due to this technology. And soon will come the time that “death will be swallowed up forever, and HaShem shall wipe the tears off every face.”
Thus proving the ultimate power of paper over rock.
Sources:
- Bava Basra 10a
- Mishlei 10:2, 11:4.
- Hilchos U’Minhagei Rabbi Shalom of Neustadt (Derashot Maharash) 490, cited in Ba’er Heitev on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 224:8; Eliyah Rabbah 224:7; Kitzur Sh'lah Maseches Rosh Hashanah; Kaf Hachaim 224:41; 581:92; Responsa Darkei David, Yoreh De’ah 15; Ta’amei ha-Minhagim 1069; Cf. Rabbi Reuven Margalios, Shaarei Zohar 161a.
- Sanhedrin 97a
- Yeshayahu 25:8
