by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com Sara’s lifelong dream was to help people and to protect children.  She became a lawyer for Child and Family Services.  She had tried hundreds of cases, where she worked hard to ensure that those who preyed upon children, and those who were unduly violent, or those who had abused drugs or alcohol in grossly irresponsible ways – did not place children or their spouses in harm’s way. Sara herself had two young children, and she and her husband had recently purchased a house.  The bathroom, however, needed to be renovated.  It was in horrible shape. A worker, we will call him “Javier” had shown up every day for the past two weeks.  He showed up on time.  He performed his work well.  He was a strong worker.  He looked at her as if he knew her from somewhere.  Yes, there was something vaguely familiar about her. Then one day, she left her court identification badge on the table.  He saw it. “Now I know why you look so familiar to me, Mrs. Sara.  YOU WERE THE ONE who took my children away from me.” Rabbi Hoffman authors a weekly parsha sheet for the Sefas Tamim Foundation devoted to the topic of Emes.  To subscribe, send Rabbi Hoffman a request at yairhoffman2@gmail.com He was calm.  She was not.  She had completely frozen.  Javier knew where she lived.  He knew her children.  He knew her schedule.  She did not know how to respond. After some quick thinking, Sara responded as follows: “Look, you have been doing great work in the bathroom.  You come on time and appear to have straightened out.  Let me find out where your case is right now, and see if I can help move it along positively in your favor.” She called the courthouse and asked to look up the case.  She needed to protect herself and her children.  Without getting to the exact details, Sara lied to Javier in order that he not blame her for anything and so that he would perceive her as having saved the day for him.  She gave him the appearance that his activities were overlooked and that his case got better – because she did him a favor.  This can possibly be construed as bordering on Chillul Hashem.  However, we will soon see, that what she did was absolutely permitted. THE GEMORAH IN NEDARIM The case is reminiscent of a fascinating Gemorah in Nedarim (22a), which deals with Ulla, a student of Rabbi Yochanan who travelled back and forth to Bavel. It is unclear whether he did so to teach the lessons that Rabbi Yochanan’s Beis Midrash used to teach or to raise funds for Eretz Yisroel, or both. Regardless, it explains why Sara’s actions were completely proper. When ‘Ulla arose [back] to Eretz Yisroel, he was joined by two inhabitants of Chozai, one of whom arose and murdered the other. The murderer asked of Ulla: ‘Did I do well?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied; ‘moreover, cut his throat clean across.’ When he came before Rabbi Yochanan, he asked him, ‘Maybe, G-d forbid, I have strengthened the hands of transgressors?’ He replied, ‘You saved your life.’ Both the Rosh and the Ran understand this Gemorah as saying that were it not for Ulah’s life being in possible […]

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