The Crooked Cabby | Rabbi Menachem Feifer

I heard numerous times from the Mashgiach, R’ Don Segal, a Yesod that he said over in the name of Chazal, and that is A person thinks, when he's faced with a Nisayon, that, yes, perhaps there's a punishment if I do something wrong, but L’maaseh, right now, in this world, I gained some pleasure, which I enjoy. R’ Don said that a person should know that when he grabs an illicit pleasure, he's going to lose an equal permitted pleasure that he would have otherwise had. If a person grabs, let's say, a pleasure that he wasn't supposed to have, he'll lose a Nachas report about his child. A person looks at something he shouldn't, he'll lose the pleasure of understanding a Tosfos or a difficult Sugyah. בדידי הוה עובדא I had a story once with a taxi driver in Eretz Yisroel. When I gave him a 200 shekel note, he proceeded to give me change for a 100 shekel note. I asked him: Didn't I give you 200? And he denied it. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure at the time and I accepted the change. Afterwards, I checked and I saw that I had given him a 200 shekel note. I was quite upset with the driver. The man had given me his business card and had told me if I need a driver in Eretz Yisroel, I should please call him. I went over to R’ Avrohom Shmulevitz, I was at a wedding then, and I asked him: Rosh Yeshiva, I have two questions to ask you. Is it permitted for me to hire the fellow tomorrow and take back the money that he took from me tonight? Pay him 100 shekel less? And secondly, even if it's permitted, is it the right thing to do? I remember R’ Avrohom Shmuletviz said to me with great excitement, which translates as, I'm not sure if it's allowed, but you have to do it. In other words, he said, you have to teach the driver a lesson, not to take advantage of a Charedi Yid. The next day, I hired the fellow. I went with my daughter to my father's grave in Beit Shemesh. We had made up a price, there and back, with a half an hour time to daven. We came back to Yerushalayim. I told my daughter: Leave the taxicab. Then I said: You know what? I'm also leaving. I walked out. I stood by the window and I started paying him. I gave him... I told him I’d give him 180. I gave him a 50, a 20, and a 10-shekel coin. And then I said, ומאה כבר קיבלת אתמול בלילה. The other 100 you got last night. He looked at me: What are you talking about? I said: You forgot? You stole 100 shekels from me last night. He stared at me. He took the money and threw it out the window on the floor. And he started arguing with me. Why didn't you tell me something last night? I said: I did, but you insisted, and I thought I could trust a Yid not to lie to me. The fellow opens the door. I got a little frightened. He bends down and picks up the money. He wishes me Shabbat Shalom, and he drove off. That night, I went to R’ Don Segal. I told him the story. I wanted to know what he would feel was the right thing. I remember he said to me, You made such a Kiddush Hashem. Chazal tell us that when you do something and take something wrongly, you don't end up gaining anything but an Aveira, that’s all. He could have made the same 100 shekel honestly. He got the same amount of money and he got an Aveira to boot. Let's not be foolish and take what's not ours. The Ribono shel Olam is going to give us every drop of pleasure we deserve. חזק ואמץ.