Rabbi Nissim Hakohen was Av Beis Din in Jerba and author of the Sefer Maasei Nissim.
Although a Rabbi, he was not supported by the community. Rabbi Nissim was a goldsmith. He would spend a few hours working and as soon as he had enough money he would close his store and go to learn.
As a teenager he learned to be a goldsmith by Maimon Hakohen. Maimon had a large family and was very poor. Although he promised a small salary to the young Nissim, he never had any money to pay him. So week after week he would push off paying Nissim.
Nissim was in a dilemma. On one hand he wanted to ask Maimon for his money but knew that Maimon didn't have. And as soon as he would ask to be paid he would cause Maimon to transgress the obligation of paying a worker on the day he finishes the job. This Halacha applies once the worker asks to be paid.
But Nissim also knew that if he doesn't do anything about it he will never get paid.
Nissim came up with a great idea. He hid a small box in the back of the store. When cleaning up the bits of gold from work he would put a little bit in the box. They were so small that they weren't missed.
After a couple of years Nissim approached Maimon and asked to be paid.
Maimon asked how much he was owed.
Nissim calculated the weeks and how much money he had been promised per week.
Maimon paled. He had no clue how to pay Nissim so much money.
Nissim asked him, "What did you think, to employ me and not pay at all?"
Maimon was too embarrassed to answer.
Nissim went to the back of the store, moved the boxes and pulled out a small heavy box.
He took out all the bits of gold and weighed them. There was enough to pay his salary and some left over.
Maimon hugged Nissim and thanked him for his genius idea.
Parshas Ki Savo 5784
BS"D
By Rabbi Dovid Caro
The story is a cute story. But it also has a message for us as we approach Rosh Hashanah.
We are coming towards the end of the year. In less than two weeks we will all be judged by Hashem for the upcoming year.
The Malaachim will place our Mitzvos on one side of the scales and our sins on the other.
When we start thinking how we spent our year, we will be rather worried.
So many sins. Not spending much time learning Torah speaking Lashon Hara, talking during davening and Kaddish, not knowing Hilchos Shabbos properly and therefore desecrating the Shabbos. And there is lots more.
Do we stand a chance? Are we worthy of being inscribed in the book of the Tzaddikim or at least the book of the Beinonim?
But we have a box with our savings put aside. All the little small Mitzvos, or at least what we consider small, all add up to tip the scales. Every little Chessed we did, every good word we said to another Yid. Little bits but they are diamonds that are heavy and can change the weights on the scale.
And then on top of that we can add all the pain, worries, suffering and shame we have endured the past year. All this will be put on the scales to tip them in our favor.
But even so as we end the year we pray to Hashem, "May the year and it's curses come to an end." From now we will try and improve that we shouldn't need any more curses, sufferings, pain and embarrassment to save us. This upcoming year we will try and be better and tip the scales with our good deeds and we therefore we pray 'May the new year begin with it's blessings!"
