“A chasid once discovered a gap in his fence on Shabbos and planned to repair it. He then remembered that it was Shabbos and, regretting that he had entertained mundane thoughts on Shabbos, decided never to make the repair. A miracle was done for him and a large tree grew in that spot, whose abundant fruit provided him and his family with a livelihood” ~ Talmud Shabbos 150b
and now for a joke that I once heard from my father…
One Shabbos morning during services, Reuven taps Levi on the shoulder and whispers, ” Nisht Shabbos geret (“Not to speak of it on Shabbos, but ”), I’ve got a car to sell.” Levi says, “Nisht Shabbos geret, how much?” “Nisht Shabbos geret, $2,500,” replies Reuven. “Nisht Shabbos geret, will you take $2,000?” asks Levi. Reuven starts looking into his prayer book and murmurs, “Nisht Shabbos geret, let me think about it.” Later at the afternoon Mincha service, Levi goes to Reuven and says, “Nisht Shabbos geret, did you think about my offer?” Reuven answers, “Nisht Shabbos geret, I already sold the car.”
Let us never use this silly “loophole” but rather act as the chasid in the gemara above who Hashem rewarded for acting accordingly. Have a wonderful Shabbos!
