In his statements given to police following last Thursday night’s break-in into the Bnei Brak home of the Rosh Yeshiva, Maran HaRav Aaron Leib Shteinman Shlita indicated if the funds stolen were his own, he would be permitted to put the matter behind him. Apparently, when the Rav arrived home on Thursday evening and realized what had occurred, he instructed his aides to call police, indicating since the funds belong to tzedaka, he cannot walk away from the robbery.
Last week, YWN-Israel reported on the break-in, which netted the thieves $50,000 in cash and hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks. It is reported that the majority of the tzedaka funds were put “in a safe place” and the $50,000 was in the home because it was to be distributed the following day. The checks were the result of funds accumulated over recent days, but the bulk of the tzedaka funding was placed elsewhere for protection.
It is quoted that the Rav stated that we learn from the sefer Nefesh HaChayim that after a theft, one must introspect regarding one’s character traits. The Rav cited a case in which there was a robbery of 50,000 lira; leading the Chazon Ish zt”l to state “this thief will never leave the gates of gehenom”.
Gabba’im of the Rav tried to notify the people who gave the checks, seeking to stop as many as possible before they were cashed. The following day, two givirim gave the Rav $50,000 each, permitting him to immediately begin distributing funds to the mosdos.
There are no reports to date pointing to any leads in the case, which police indicated last week appeared to be an inside job. Police have many questions, including how the thief gained access to the apartment; how he had a key for the cash drawer and why did he lock it after taking the money; how did he know the money was there, only left in the home a number of hours earlier; and how did he know that no one would be in.
In the week following the theft, a safe has been installed and other security measures have been taken to avoid a reoccurrence in the future chas v’sholom.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
Something sounds wrong here. From this report it sounds as though there can only be very, very, very few people who had ALL the information needed to carry out this heist and who have not been since. I know the Israeli police have a reputation for being not the best but this seems a really easy one to crack, assuming of course they have been given the information they need topersue this vigorously. I am very happy that two givirim gave the Rav $50,000 each but his tzedoka fund is still out of $50,000 in cash and whatever checks were stolen.