From Where Will My Lumber Come?

It is about you, he told himself, that it says, "[G-d] humbles the haughty." You were proud of wealth that was not yours, of money that had been granted to you by Heaven.

 

 

Isaac Nudel, a wealthy lumber merchant, was planning his yearly trip to the large forests in his area. Each year, when the snows melted, he would visit these forests and negotiate with the counts and lords who owned them. Settling on a price, he would buy a huge quantity of trees. Scores of lumbermen would cut down the trees and send the logs, lying in long rows, floating downriver. Later, in his big factories, more workers would saw those logs into boards to be fashioned into furniture and other wood products.

 

Isaac's business enterprises stretched far and wide. He was known as one of the country's biggest lumber merchants, and also as a generous philanthropist whose hand was always open to those in need…

 

It seemed to him that the sun would shine on him forever. Then, one year, his business affairs began to founder. One client died, and his son refused to deal with Isaac. A second client suddenly made contact ? for the first time in many years ? with a competitor of Isaac's. A third landlord complained that a raging fire had swept through his forest that summer, destroying thousands of trees.

 

In short, Isaac's luck turned. Once he began to fall, he fell long and hard. An experienced businessman, he had naturally tried to protect himself against a dry spell. To prepare for a time when he would not be in a position to buy the trees he needed, he had built giant warehouses and stockpiled thousands of tree trunks inside ? his insurance for a rainy day.

 

"To the warehouses!" he instructed his workers.

 

The men went off at once ? only to return with downcast faces.

 

"What happened?" Isaac asked in alarm. In his blackest nightmares, he could not have anticipated the answer: "The trees have rotted!"

 

"All of them?"

 

"Every single one. The rot ate the trunks from the inside and left all of them hollowed trunks."

 

Isaac's mind raced. "Swear to me that you will not tell a soul about this," he ordered. "If word of this catastrophe spreads, my creditors will come swarming out to demand what I owe them. You men will suffer as much as I will. Let's keep our lips sealed and get through this hard time together. With G-d's help, I will rise again and you will be able to continue earning your living with me."

 

The workers agreed to keep the secret. No one else knew about the merchant's downfall. But despair filled Isaac's heart, especially when he was forced to turn away those charity-collectors who had been accustomed to receiving generous donations from him. By dint of evasive excuses, he managed to put them off for a later date while avoiding explanations. In shul and in the street, he kept his expression impassive. But how long would he be able to keep his secret? His family, accustomed to a pampered life, began for the first time to put aside food to save for the next day. Even money for bread was scarce. How long could he keep up the pretense before everyone discovered the truth?

 

Isaac went about like a shadow of his former self. His conscience pained him. It is about you, he told himself, that it says, "[G-d] humbles the haughty." You were proud of wealth that was not yours, of money that had been granted to you by Heaven. Now the Creator has taken the money back and turned your good fortune to failure."

 

These reflections continued to torment him, gnawing away at his very bones.

 

A visit by Mr. Raskas, a veteran forest agent, sprinkled salt on Isaac's wounds.

 

Raskas had come to propose an excellent business deal: The landlord who owned the nearby town, and with whom Isaac had never yet dealt in business, had sent the agent to suggest that he sell his forest to Isaac. The deal was expected to reap a very nice profit for the lumber merchant.

 

"And how much does he want for his forest?" Isaac asked with feigned indifference. Inwardly, his heart was beating fast.

 

"It's a real bargain ? 2,000 rubles in cash. But not a kopek less! The landlord is determined about that: either he gets the 2,000 in cash, or no deal. If he hadn't been so strapped for cash at the moment, he would never had made the price so low."

 

Earlier that very day, Isaac had conducted an inventory of his remaining assets. His eyes had darkened with sadness at the realization that, of all his former property, only a dismal 200 rubles were left. This was only a tenth of the landlord's asking price for the forest. This unexpected deal, which had come knocking at his door at just this moment, seemed Heaven sent ? a last chance to save himself.

 

"Come back tomorrow," Isaac requested. "We are not speaking of an insignificant sum, after all. I need a little time to get the money together."

 

When Raskas was gone, Isaac lifted his eyes to the sky. In the ordinary scheme of things, there had been no purpose to his putting off the agent. He was grasping at straws, but straws were all he had. Only G-d could help now. His heart overflowed with a plea for Heaven's mercy.

 

He was still sitting there, lost in thought, when a good friend came to visit. The other man was a prosperous merchant, as Isaac himself had been, and they had embarked on several business deals together.

 

Isaac turned to him with a proposal. "Invest 1,800 rubles with me, toward the purchase of a big forest," he suggested. "We'll be equal partners in the profits. Fifty-fifty."

 

His friend hesitated a moment, weighing the matter. He was being asked to put up a small fortune as an investment. On the other hand, there was every prospect of huge profits. Isaac was as vigorous as ever, and was not the type to speculate in risky ventures.

 

The friend nodded his head and shook Isaac's hand on the deal. Then he sent to his home at once for the money.

 

Isaac drew a deep breath. He now had the 2,000 rubles he needed ? 200 of his own, and the rest that his friend had invested. A powerful urge swept over him, to race over to the neighboring town and give the money to the landlord before the nobleman regretted his offer. But he would not take such a big step without asking his rabbi's advice. This was his last chance. Should he fail, Heaven forbid, he would be reduced to begging in the streets!

 

Isaac went to his rabbi, Reb Yaakov, and submitted a note asking for a blessing for success in a big business venture. Along with the note he included a donation of a single ruble.

 

The rabbi will doubtless be surprised, Isaac thought. He will wonder why this formerly generous man is suddenly so stingy. But, lacking any other choice, I won't be ashamed to give just one ruble!

 

The rabbi read the note, then picked up the donation with an expression of dissatisfaction. "This donation is not fitting for such a large enterprise. We are talking about a business deal worth thousands of rubles." He handed the ruble back to Isaac.

 

Taken aback, Isaac opened his purse and took out a three-ruble coin that he had prepared for his journey to the landlord. With all his heart, he hoped the rabbi would be satisfied.

 

But the rabbi was not satisfied. "This is not what I meant," he said firmly. "Show me your purse."

 

If Isaac was surprised, he showed no sign of it. With an impassive face he placed his purse, with the 2,000 rubles inside, on the table.

 

The rabbi took out the bundles of bills. He set aside the larger bundle of 1,800 rubles, and took the small one, containing 200.

 

Isaac felt as though he was burning up. He could not wait another moment before setting the rabbi straight. "Rabbi, there is a mistake here!" he cried. "I am no longer Isaac the prosperous merchant, whose money was as plentiful as the sand by the sea, who was the first to donate to every mitzvah and eager to give to anyone in need, even before he was asked! I must reveal my secret. My luck has turned. I am now destitute. Should my fortune not turn around for the better, I will be reduced to begging for handouts. This deal is my last chance. If I succeed, perhaps I will return to what I was before. And if I fail? May Heaven have mercy on me!"

 

He ended his revelation with hanging head. "And so, though I understand that the rabbi needs this money for some worthy mitzvah, this time I cannot give a large donation as I used to do. I must satisfy myself with a very small donation, so that I can hand over the entire sum of 2,000 rubles to the landlord. 1,800 of them are not even my own."

 

The emotional outburst seemed to make no impression at all on the rabbi. "Isaac, don't be so foolish. The landlord will give you time to pay him the entire sum. Even if you give him only 1,800 rubles now, you will not lose the deal. Ask him for an extension of time to pay the remaining 200. Explain that if your business succeeds, you will be able to do so in the near future."

 

Steadfast in his faith in the rabbi’s wisdom, Isaac traveled to the nearby town. The landlord was familiar with the lumber merchant's sterling reputation, and knew that he could rely absolutely on Isaac's integrity. He agreed to sell his forest for the 1,800, and to wait a while for the rest.

 

Isaac's wheel of fortune, which had reached rock bottom, began to inch upward again. He sold the trees at a good price, and even after he divided the profits with his partner he was left with 1,000 rubles in cash. He had witnessed the fulfillment of the words "He humbles the haughty"; now he was seeing the next words come true: "He raises the downtrodden."

 

Isaac lifted his eyes in gratitude. "Thank You," he whispered to his Creator. "After You cast me into the pit, You have raised my soul from the grave!"

 

He traveled at once to the landlord and paid his debt of 200 rubles. Then he returned to the rabbi ? this time with a donation of 500 rubles.

 

Reb Yaakov accepted the fat bundle of bills, took out a single ruble, and returned the rest to Isaac.

 

"Wh-what is this?" Isaac stammered in confusion. "I gave the money with a full heart."

 

The rabbi smiled. "I know, my son. But you once wanted to give only one ruble. I am taking it now." He paused, then continued. "Did you think that your rabbi had turned money-hungry? That I could not be satisfied with less than 200 rubles, and had sealed my ears to poor Isaac's pleas?

 

"Know this," the rabbi said, and now his face glowed. "When you came to me that day, I saw that your fortune was about to sink even lower than you thought… Had you give the landlord the 200 rubles, you would not have seen any sign of blessing for the rest of your life!

 

"That's why I took everything you had. The only cash you actually gave the landlord was money that was not your own. That's why you were able to succeed."

 

The rabbi added a final word. "Had you entered on this business venture without such a powerful and stubborn faith, you would not have prospered. Your own faith opened the gates of success to you ? much more than anything I did on your behalf. And now, riches will not leave you or your descendants for many, many generations!

 

 

 

(Excerpted from TALES FOR THE SOUL 4" ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications

www.artscroll.com)