Positive Mitzvah 243: The Paid Watchman
Exodus 22:91 "If a man gives his neighbor...to watch"

When Rubi's parents were touring Eretz Yisrael, they planned to spend Shabbat with relatives in Zefat.

However, they wanted to do some sightseeing around the old city of Zefat before they went to their host's home.

As they got off the bus at the central bus station, Rubi's mother noticed a sign on a shop: "Don't lug your luggage. Store it!"

"Thank G-d!" she exclaimed. "Just what we need! Let's leave our luggage there and collect it later."

"Good idea," said Rubi's father. "It will be a pleasure not to carry around our suitcases."

They walked over to the shop and paid for the service. Receipt in hand, Rubi's parents set out for a comfortable walking tour of Zefat.

The man at the counter of the storage business is considered a paid watchman.

His responsibility towards the article placed in his keep is detailed in the Torah.

This Positive Mitzvah outlines his obligations when the entrusted article is lost or stolen. A person who rents an article is also bound by these same responsibilities.

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Go out on a clear night and see the moon reflected in the water of a lake. Then see the very same moon reflected in a pond, in a teacup, in a single drop of water. So the same essential Torah is reflected within each person who studies it, from a small child to a great sage.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com