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Lech Lecha
And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Avram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock -- and the Canaanite and the Perizzite were then dwelling in the land (Bereishis 13:7).Rashi explains that Lot's shepherds were wicked men and gazed their cattle in other people's fields. Avram's shepherds rebuked them for this act of robbery, but they replied, "The land has been given to Avram, and since he has no son as heir, Lot will be his heir; consequently this is not robbery." Scripture, however, states: "The Canaanite and the Perizzite were then dwelling in the land," so that Avram was not yet entitled to possession.
Holy men are extremely cautious not to take what is not theirs; even by accident. The following fascinating story is recorded in the very inspiring book, The Mashgiach of Kamenitz (Feldheim Publishers).
On one of his journeys, Rav Yosef Yozel Horowitz ztvk"l, the Alter of Novahrdok, stayed at an inn. One of his fellow lodgers was an important Jew who hailed from Moscow. As the week drew to a close, the Alter was busy with Shabbos preparations. He asked the Muscovite if he had a brush he could borrow to clean his clothes. When he went to return it, the man had already gone to synagogue for Friday night services. After Shabbos was over and Rav Yosef Yozel returned from synagogue, he once again sought out the man to return his brush, only to discover he had already packed his bags and departed. The Alter was deeply distressed over this turn of events. He was in possession of an object which didn't belong to him and had no idea how he would return it to its rightful owner. Millions of people lived in Moscow, and trying to find the man would be like looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack. Rav Yosef Yozel carried the brush with him wherever he went, in hopes of eventually running into the man. Whenever he met someone from the Russian capital, the Alter asked if he knew the person, but all his efforts were in vain.
Seven years later, Rav Yosef Yozel was riding on a train, brush still with him. Over the course of the trip, he and his seatmate engaged in conversation. The Alter asked where the man was from, and when he replied that he lived in Moscow, Rav Horowitz excitedly asked if he knew so-and-so. To the Rav's utter joy and relief, the man told him that not only did he know the person, but he was even his neighbor. Rav Yosef Yozel immediately explained what had happened with the brush and asked him to return it.
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