When it comes to business dealings there is nothing more powerful than a signed contract. Whether it be a partnership, an investment, or a loan, when there is a contract, the understanding between the parties is clear. It’s even more so when there are witnesses as well.
However, there are times when two people might have a transaction between them without any signatures or witnesses, purely based on trust. That can happen, for example, when one person wants an object protected for safekeeping. They may have turned to a friend to begin with because they trust them. However, there is a “third” partner involved and that is G-d. They trust that one will not turn on the other as G-d is always “watching.”
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayikra, we learn that if one falsely denies that they have the item given to them for safekeeping by their friend, they are not only sinning against their friend, they are sinning against G-d.
When we see our signature on paper, it is easier for us to see things in black and white, true or false. However, when it is just our word against someone else’s, things start to turn murkier.
Earlier I referred to the “third partner,” G-d, as participating in the transaction when one person gives an item to another for safekeeping. This term is used throughout the Talmud and the commentaries for G-d in this specific case. Since when do we call G-d a “third partner”?
This is exactly what the Torah is trying to teach us. There should be no gray area when we deal with one another. We should always be conscious of a third party in our life. We are never alone in this world. G-d is always watching, participating in our lives.
Judaism is not only about the relationship between us and G-d, but also between one person and another. At times, it manifests itself even more so in the way we behave toward each other because that is how we bring G-d into our lives in a real, tangible way.