רבי יהודה החסיד, ספר חסידים
A man who was the most astute buyer of merchandise in town devoted all his spare time to Torah study. One day, a widow asked him to buy a certain article for her. He declined, saying, “I’m sorry, but I simply cannot give up my Torah studies.” A venerable old rabbi interjected, “Do you think that you are better than Rabbi Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua? The Talmud tells us that they interrupted their Torah studies to go to the market to buy an animal for the wedding feast of Rabbi Gamliel’s daughter (Talmud Bavli Makkot 14a), and on the way discussed Torah topics. You should do the same. When you buy the article for the widow, keep your mind on Torah issues. And when you buy merchandise at a favorable price, the money you save her is counted as your tzedakah, and God will repay you for your trouble."
[Avraham Finkel translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What would make man think that Torah study supersedes helping the widow? In our own lives, how do we make those prioritizations?
2. What are we meant to learn from this story?
3. What social justice themes emerge from this text?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)