Once a merchant traveled abroad to purchase goods. Since it would take him several days to select the appropriate merchandise, he was afraid that in the interim someone would steal the 500 gold pieces that he was carrying. Therefore, he buried the money in the middle of the forest.

However, through a hole in the wall of a house that faced the forest the resident of the house saw the man hiding the gold. That night, the farmer went into the forest and stole the money. A week later, the merchant returned and to his dismay found that his gold had been stolen.

He looked around and realized that the farmer must have seen him hiding the gold. He went to the farmhouse and said, "I am a merchant from out of town and I need some advice. I asked a few people and they said that you gave the best advice. I am traveling with 2 sacks of gold. I buried the sack of 500 coins in the forest. My question is: should I bury the sack of 800 coins or should I leave it in somebody’s trust?"

The farmer answered, "Don’t deposit the money with anyone here because you don’t know who is trustworthy. Bury your gold in the forest in the same place and there it will be safe."

As soon as the merchant left, the farmer buried the 500 coins in its original hiding spot so that when the merchant would return with the 800 coins he wouldn’t realize they had been stolen. The merchant then returned that night and collected his missing coins. You can imagine how shocked the farmer was when he discovered that "his" 500 coins were gone and the other 800 coins that he had intended to steal were no where to be found!

Not only was the farmer unable to steal the 800 coins, he even lost the 500 coins that he had been holding. While none of us would ever steal, the Sages of Mussar tell us there are offshoots of "stealing" that we should avoid. For instance, we should be careful not to disturb someone who is sleeping, learning, or working. May we respect the time and honor of others, in turn, we will be blessed with good, pleasant, and caring friends.

TODAY: Make every effort not to disturb someone who is involved in an important task.