Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pay for the Dress - Story

On Erev Shabbat Reb Zusya noticed that his wife was very thoughtful and subdued. "Why aren't you more cheerful?" he asked in amazement, "You already have your new dress. Be happy!" She told him that when she came to the tailor to pick up her new dress, she noticed that he was very sad. When she inquired about his sadness, he told her that his daughter became a kallah not long ago. Recently, the chatan visited his home and noticed that he was sewing a new dress. The chatan was under the impression that the dress was for his kallah and was quite pleased. However, when he found out that it was not for her, he became extremely despondent. "Now I am afraid that because of his disappointment, the engagement will be cancelled, and my daughter will not get married," the tailor said.
"The tailor's dilemma moved me so," concluded Reb Zusya's wife, "that I told him to keep this dress as a present for his daughter, and thus I am where I began. I still do not have a new dress."
After hearing his wife's story, Reb Zusya asked her: "Did you at least pay the tailor for his work?"
In amazement, his wife replied: "I do not understand you. Did you expect me to pay him, when I already gave him the dress to keep?"
Reb Zusya said to her: "This is no excuse. The poor tailor worked an entire week to sew a dress for you, expecting to receive money to buy food for Shabbat. If you want to do a mitzvah and give your dress to his daughter, that's your business, but he deserves to be paid for his work."
She immediately ran to the tailor and paid him.

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