By Rabbi Nachman Seltzer
Hacham Baruch and Jerry Natkin
One day Jerry Natkin came to see Hacham Baruch. Jerry was a successful businessman, the owner of William Barthman Jewelers. At the time he was in the process of finalizing a deal with a major shopping center in Manhattan that would give him space on the ground floor for a large retail jewelry store.
“Rabbi,” he said, “I was wondering if you can help me out.”
“What do you need?”
“I need your help in arranging a contract.”
What Kind of Contract?
“What kind of contract?”
“I’m about to open a new store in the city. It’s a prime location, and I’m excited about the possibilities. But there is one issue that I need to iron out: Every store in the mall must be open seven days a week. In order for me to rent the space for my new flagship store, I need to find a way for the store to remain open on Shabbat. That’s why I’m here. I need the Rabbi to help me write the kind of contract that will allow me to take a non-Jewish partner just for Shabbat. The store will be mine six days a week and his on Shabbat.”
Feel Free to Find Another Rabbi Who Will Do It For You
“Jerry, I don’t arrange those kinds of Shabbat contracts,” Hacham Baruch told him. “They go against my principles. But if you want, feel free to find another rabbi who will do it for you.”
“I don’t want to go to another rabbi,” Jerry insisted. “You’re my rabbi.”
“Jerry,” Hacham Baruch said, “can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, Rabbi, what do you want to know?”
“Right now, do you have enough money to put food on the table?”
“Of course. The Rabbi knows that I’m a successful businessman.”
“Then why do you need to do this? I don’t like these kinds of partnerships, and if you’re already doing well and don’t really need to do this, then I recommend that you back away from the deal and don’t open a store that will be open on Shabbat, non-Jewish partner or not.”
But, Rabbi, I’ll Be Making a Lot of Money from this Deal!
“But, Rabbi, I’ll be making a lot of money from this deal!”
The Rabbi looked at his congregant. “Jerry, listen to me. Don’t do it.”
There it was. The Rabbi had spoken. Jerry thought it over. In the end he decided to follow the Rabbi’s advice and didn’t sign the lease. The conversation that Jerry had with the Rabbi took place in the spring of 2001. The following September, just a few months after his decision to back out of the deal he had almost closed with the management of the Twin Towers, terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center, destroying both towers and sparking wars with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Had Jerry signed the deal, not only would his store have been completely destroyed, but there is a good chance that he would have been there when it happened as well. But he wasn’t there — because he obeyed his rabbi.
Until this day Jerry Natkin keeps a copy of the lease he almost signed but didn’t thanks to Hacham Baruch. It’s a reminder of the miracle that happened to him and a reminder of how important it is for a person to have a rabbi and to follow his advice.
Reprinted from the Parshat Nasso 5785 edition of At the ArtScroll Shabbos Table. Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “Hacham Baruch”
