Rabbi Shlomo Landau shares a story about the Minzer family who ran a bakery near Krakow during the start of World War II. The bakery always gave free bread to the poor, travelers and charity collectors that passed by. When refugees started pouring into their town, their charity increased and their ovens never cooled.
When the Nazis took control of their town, they transferred ownership to a non-Jew who decided to repay the favor and feed the Minzer family and other Jews in need. When the Minzers were forced into ghettos and some of the Minzer sons volunteered to work in the tin factory. The Polish owner of the factory hated Germans, and the Minzers helped him hinder German production. Every night the owner would bring the Minzer boys about forty rolls of bread which they were able to eat and sell.
When the country became too dangerous the factory owner helped the Minzer family escape and they miraculously survived the war. Looking back the Minzers attributed their survival and that they always had what to eat to their charity before the war. The word machatzit teaches that when you give charity, you will have life; but if you don’t, it may lead to the opposite, chas veshalom. As the passuk says, “Tzedaka tatzil mimavet — charity saves from death!”
Reprinted from the Parashat Ki Tisa Dvar Torah of Jack Rahmey based on the Torah teachings of Rabbi Amram Sananes.
