Reb Akiva Eiger had a special stamp that he used to sign rabbinical documents. The stamp had a picture of scales and weights, and underneath it were the words “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof — Justice, justice shall you pursue.”
There is an interesting minhag that some have at a three-year-old boy’s upsherin. They weigh the hair that was cut off and then give that amount of money to tzedakah. The Sefer HaMatamim HeChadash writes that the source for this custom is the mitzvah of reishis hagez — giving the first wool sheared from sheep to the Kohein. In a similar way, since the Yidden are Hashem’s flock, so we give the first hair of a Jewish child to tzedaka.
The passuk says that a person may not cut down a fruit tree because the passuk says “mimenu tochal — from it you will eat.” The Magen Avraham writes that from these words we can learn that it is a mitzvah to eat fruit!
One of the great talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov developed a strong desire to learn sichas beheimos v’ofos—the language of animals and birds. This is a deep mystical wisdom through which a person can understand what animals and birds are saying. He traveled to the Baal Shem Tov, hoping that his rebbe would teach him this secret.
When he arrived, the Baal Shem Tov ignored him. This was very unusual, but the talmid was so focused on learning these secrets that he did not think much about it. One day, the Baal Shem Tov called him and told him to come travel with him. The talmid became excited, realizing that this was probably the moment he had been waiting for.
As they traveled, the Baal Shem Tov turned to him and said, “I know that you came because you want to learn the language of the animals and birds. Listen carefully.” He then began teaching him these deep secrets. As the lesson continued, the talmid suddenly began hearing the birds and horses talking around him.
When the Baal Shem Tov finished, he asked, “Did you understand everything?” “Yes, Rebbe,” the talmid replied.
The Baal Shem Tov then gently passed his hand over the talmid’s face, and in an instant, the talmid forgot everything he had just learned.
The Baal Shem Tov explained, “If these secrets would help you in your avodas Hashem, I would have come to teach them to you myself. But our main avodah is tamim tihyeh im Hashem Elokecha, to serve Hashem with simple, wholehearted faith, without trying to know every hidden thing or what the future holds. I only taught you these secrets to satisfy your curiosity, but there is no reason for you to know them.”
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 94.