A Jewish man from northern Israel returned 700,000 shekels ($165,300) to the government that he was granted as compensation for the summer’s war. He said he did not deserve it. The man sent the check to the Israel Tax Authority, Globes reported, with the explanation that the amount he received was not commensurate to his business activity during the period in question.
A spokesman for the Tax Authority confirmed that the man received the correct compensation under the rules outlined by the government for determining the sum. He said the man was not correcting overcompensation due to a human or computer error, but rather his own assessment of his wartime losses.
The honest citizen said that he had reduced his business activity prior to the war and was therefore not entitled to the amount outlined under the state-issued guidelines, which determine the figure based on past years’ earnings.
Mi keamcha yisroel
amcha yisrael, kol hakovod!
He should have taken the money and given it to Tzidokah. he FELT that he did not desearve it, but he was entitled to it.
If I feal that I don’t desearve to pay so much taxes I should not pay it! The Govt. desides and you should just follow.
Very nice ,sweet thing to do and all….but they’ll just use this money to stage more ‘guy’ parades….and stuff.Take the money and give it to the poor and needy in israel-plenty to choose from.i think he’s missing a couple of bolts.Theres no mitzvah in returning it-There IS a mitzvah to help the poor.
Sure he could have done lots of Mitzvos with it but the Kiddush Hashem he made is priceless!!! Sometimes you have to do what is right and not make any cheshbonos.
Abi M, I could not have said that better myself!! (Oh, I did)
Sroy, who said that giving it back was right? perhaps it was not right. Perhaps keeping it and giving it to a place MORE worthy then the Israli Govt. would be an even greater Kiddush Hashem.
@sroy-”sometimes you have to do whats right…”what was it that he HAD to do?and besides whats right about letting poor people starve and go with no heat in their homes and go without shoes etc in yerushlayim?????Give THEM the money-not to some self centered government which handed you the money rightfully.thirdly-these poor people will not get any help from the ‘merciful’ medinah-@least if g-d gave YOU the money-do something worthy with it-and i dont mean sponsoring the state of israel.
Abi Meleibt: It appears that we think alike. You say app. the same thing that I am saying, twice.
Honesty is giving something back to its rightful owner.
Chesboines belong to H’.
So who is the “Rightfull owner”, Baal Boose?