A wealthy individual once presented me with an expensive and valuable gift. It was wrapped in layers of paper, protecting it from damage. I opened them, one by one, until I reached a small box containing a beautiful designer watch, worth tens of thousands of dollars. I instinctively knew I would never wear it. People would wonder where a rabbi received such a pricey piece of jewelry. Since it is forbidden for a Jew to place himself under suspicion, I thanked the man for the gift, and then delicately asked whether he could redeem it for its monetary value, which I directly transferred to Torah institutions.
This was the road I took when another philanthropist offered me a luxury Mercedes. It never entered my mind that I would enter such a car. I asked him, as well, to donate this gift to Torah institutions. Baruch Hashem, he agreed, and in this way, we merited increasing Hashem’s glory.
