Rabbi Wazner’s Warning: The Price of Charging Interest

In 1995, a chilling and unforgettable story began circulating in Bnei Brak, one that Rabbi Shmuel Halevi Wazner said must be shared, as a mitzvah, so others could learn from it.

It began when a gravedigger returned home after burying someone and was shocked to discover that his wallet, which held a large sum of money, was missing. After retracing his steps and thinking it through, he realized it must have fallen into the grave while he was working.

He approached Rabbi Wazner with a serious question: Was it permitted to reopen the grave to get back the wallet? Given the significant amount of money involved, and the fact that the body had not yet begun to decompose, the Rabbi gave permission after instructing him to first ask forgiveness from the deceased, as is customary in such sensitive matters.

But when the gravedigger opened the grave, what he saw shocked him to his core. Three snakes were inside, biting and devouring the flesh of the deceased. Though he had seen many difficult things in his profession, nothing had ever frightened him like this. He quickly closed the grave and ran back to Rabbi Wazner, still shaken.

Rabbi Wazner listened and then quietly said, “I know this man. He was a moneylender who charged interest, despite repeated warnings. I told him many times, but he wouldn’t listen. This is his punishment. And because of that, it is a mitzvah to publicize this story so that others will hear and take it to heart.”

He explained that the punishment fit the sin. The Torah forbids charging interest with the words: “Do not bite” (Devarim/Deuteronomy 23:20), teaching that a person who lends with interest "bites" his fellow Jew. And just as he "bit" others financially, so too was he punished by being bitten by snakes. “May Hashem protect us,” Rabbi Wazner added.

Rabbi Wazner also shared two other true stories that highlight the seriousness of observing mitzvot (commandments), especially Shabbat.

One involved Rabbi Schlesinger, who often spoke out to help others correct their paths. In one of his books, he warned the city of Pressburg about the spiritual danger of not keeping Shabbat (chilul Shabbat), quoting the sages that it brings fire. Not long after, a huge fire broke out in the Jewish part of the city. Homes were burned down, and even Torah books had to be thrown into the street to save what they could but all were destroyed. Only a few scorched lines from Rabbi Schlesinger’s warning remained, as if testifying to the truth of his words.

The second story took place about forty years ago. A wealthy Orthodox Jewish man came to Rabbi Wazner and said he wanted to buy a glass factory, which could bring in a lot of income. But Rabbi Wazner warned him: glass factories must keep their furnaces burning non-stop even on Shabbat. Even if a non-Jew was hired to keep it running, this could still lead to serious problems with Shabbat observance. Rabbi Wazner told him clearly, “Anyone who touches Shabbat will lose their wealth.”

The man didn’t listen. A few years later, he lost everything in a shocking downfall and was forced to flee Israel entirely.

These stories, Rabbi Wazner taught, are not just tales, they are wake-up calls. They remind us of the deep importance of mitzvot, honesty, and respect for Hashem. They call us to live with integrity and faith, and to remember that the Torah is not just wisdom, it shapes our lives and our destinies.

(Courtesy of the Dirshu website)