A businessman once approached a grandson of the Steipler Gaon, zt”l, gave him twenty thousand dollars, and asked him to give it to the Steipler Gaon to distribute to various Tzedakah purposes. However, when the money was brought to the Steipler, he refused to accept it. He said that the money was not Kosher, and he wouldn’t use it.
The grandson called the businessman and told him what the Steipler had said. The man replied that he would call back soon. About an hour later, he called back the grandson, and said he could give the money again to his grandfather. This time, the Steipler accepted the money as if nothing had happened, and he instructed his grandson to send his thanks to the businessman.
The grandson called the man back with the message, and asked for an explanation. The man said that he and his brother were partners in various businesses. Each year, they brought a large amount of money to the Steipler Gaon for Tzedakah. Lately, however, they had a falling out, and they hadn’t spoken to each other in a long time. He said, “I brought the money to you as I did every year, but I did not consult with my brother about it. The Steipler sensed this, and he did not accept the money. When you told me that he said the money is not Kosher, I called my brother to reconcile with him. Once I did that, the money became Kosher again!”
Reprinted from the Parshas Mikeitz 5784 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
