True Valuables
When I was a child, I discerned Father’s abhorrence for money and all things materialistic.
Father had a shoe box which he hid in his closet. In it, he kept his so-called fortunes. We children imagined untold wealth accumulating in that small box. Only Mother, may she live long, knew the truth. She would tell us, “One day, you will be surprised.”
- The Tzaddik, Rabbi Moshe Aharon Pinto, zy”a
After the shivah at Father’s passing, we opened the shoe box and were, indeed, met with a surprise.
The secret box contained two envelopes. One held funds with which to marry off my siblings, and the other had money to cover Father’s funeral and burial expenses.
This, with another couple of thousand shekels, comprised all of Father’s possessions. When he had moved to Eretz Yisrael from Morocco, he had brought along tremendous fortunes. Where had it all gone?
Throughout his life, Father distributed his money among the needy. He also supported yeshivot. All that he left for himself was enough for the basic necessities.
After Father passed on, we learned the true value of money. It should never be regarded as an end, to be amassed. It is only a means of serving Hashem.
