This week, we continue with translating the Chofetz Chaim’s Sefer entitled, “Sefas Tamim.” Sefas Tamim, from which our foundation takes its name, focuses on the importance of honesty in word and in deed.
“...we learn that even an indirect action that incidentally causes a loss to one's fellow, and more than this, that even if the loss was not the result of an actual physical action, but rather through circumstances that he caused that prevented his friend from being able to profit, through which he would be able to feed his family, Heaven considers this as though he actually killed this person together with his household and he will be punished severely for this. And after having said all of this, what will these deceitful men answer now that they have intentionally utterly trivialized this sin of literal extortion and robbery.
How so very serious is the sin of theft, that it will provide Heaven to immediately listen to the pleas of the victim of the theft. As the Gemara relates (Bava Metziya 59A) “Rebbe Abahu said, ‘There are three sins for which the Curtain does not close (and sins immediately pass through it into the chamber of the Heavenly tribunal for immediate judgment and punishment): cheating, theft and idol worship.’”
