Inflation and Charity
And if you stick your hand in your pocket and instead of that quarter you needed, you find a hole in the lining, so don't be hard-hearted; don't be like an atheist and say “It just happened. I should have taken care of my lining.” You should take care of your lining; certainly you shouldn't have a frayed pocket. But now that the quarter is gone, you have to think, “ינו≈כָר¿ּ„ הָׂ ̆¿ּפ¿חַנ. Maybe I was stingy when the poor man came to me. Why did I give him a measly quarter? What's a quarter nowadays? It's time to give him a raise. Everything has gone up and I'm still giving quarters. That's why the quarter left my pocket.” And who found it now? Some unworthy fellow found it. What are you getting out of it now?
That's how a Jew should live. If while you're eating you give a good bite on your tongue, so instead of cussing, give a thought. “What's my tongue to blame? Maybe something is wrong with my tongue. Maybe I should have bitten my tongue instead of saying that to my wife this morning.” עָר≈מָך¿נֹוׁ ̆¿ל רֹˆ¿נ, Guard your tongue against saying what you shouldn't.
And so as we go through life, we grab these opportunities that Hashem is sending upon us. I recall once, I had just learned this idea during mussar seder and somebody told me, “There's a telephone call for you.” So I left the beis medrash and was running to the phone booth. And the booth was very low so I banged my head against the top of the door. And I actually saw stars. Once in my life I realized what it meant to see stars. I saw lights. But I was still fresh from the mussar seder so I had the presence of mind to think, “Ahh! That's what you deserve. That's what you get for running out of the mussar seder.”
Once in my life I was smart enough to take a hint. It just happened because I was in the midst of studying this subject so I made use of it. But that's how we should be all our lives; and life will be one steady procession of tikun, of growth, of improvement.
