According to law -- you have NO right to give up!!!! STORY.

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Knowledge is Power -- G-dly Knowledge is Super Power.

After World War 2, there were many very broken hearts. One such fellow lost everything in the war. His wife, children, possessions, everything, to the cruel Nazis who had taken it all away from him.

He moved to Israel, and one day woke up thinking, I GIVE UP. It was just too much to keep on going, and didn’t seem worth it anymore. His friends noticed and felt his overwhelming hardships he was going through and suggested he see a well-known Rabbi for advice, and motivation.

The Rabbi listened compassionately to his very sorry tale of woe and told him that he wanted to share with him a story.

Not too long ago there was this businessman who would once a year take loans from his entire community and would travel far and wide to purchase all kinds of objects. Once a year, at the largest fair, he would sell all these items, pay back his loans, and with the profits, live for another year.

“Not too long ago”, says the Rabbi, this fellow was not feeling well enough to take this huge purchasing trip and consulted with his wife, who agreed, that she would get all the information from her husband and go in his place.

The husband made the local rounds and as usual borrowed the much needed funds and handed it over to his wife with exact instructions where to go, and how to bargain with all the people she would buy the merchandise from.

When she got to her first destination and opened up her money chest she was shaken to see there was no money there. The wallet must have fallen out someplace, and she immediately fainted.

The thought was worse for her to consider how would her husband pay back all the loans to his friends and family, than the lost opportunity to earn their income for the year. This kept on repeating itself until a young man announced he had found the money and did not intend to return a penny of it.

After a quick investigation it was indeed discovered, the man had the money this lady lost. Quickly, the Rabbi was called in and ordered, this fellow give the money back.

The fellow said to the Rabbi. According to Jewish law, once someone gives up hope from something they lost, of realistically finding it, it belongs to no one, and whoever finds the object is allowed to keep it. According to law, this is a neighborhood that fits this criteria for giving up hope and although the poor lady is obviously pained by this event, what I have, is from abandoned property and is rightfully mine!!

The Rabbi, from his part kept on insisting that the money be returned, and the fellow questioned the Rabbis reason for a very unlawful injunction.

The Rabbi said the following.

This money never belonged to the lady who was just a messenger. She does not have any proprietorship over the money and therefore has no right, to separate the legal owner from his possession. Her mission was only to spend the money in order to help enrich the investors according to their agreement and no more.  Since the rightful owner at this point, does not even know the money was lost, he could not have abandoned the money, it still belongs to him, and you have no right to steal this money you picked up from the floor from its rightful owner. Even more so, you have the biblical commandment of guarding it until it is returned to its owner.

And now, our Rabbi in our story, turns to the dejected and depressed fellow.

G-d woke you up in the morning and implanted a very special and unique soul in you. G-d has faith and trust in this very valuable commodity, the soul, life, and entrusted it in your hands as “His” messenger to add light and life in this world. He has appointed you as His messenger.” A MESSENGER HAS NO LEGAL RIGHTS TO GIVE UP ON THE ENTRUSTED OBJECT IN HIS/HER POSSESSION ON BEHALF OF HIS/HER DISPATCHER.”

The above is the true story that happened with Rabbi Y. Galinsky. For the rest of this fellow’s life, every time he felt like giving up, he would remember this story. He would remind himself that he was merely a messenger on a  G-dly mission. He had no legal right to give up on life, and to the contrary was obligated to guard and watch this precious soul as long as he was entrusted by G-d Almighty Himself, with this very precious commodity.