Kabbalah Library

84. “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning,” as it is written, “You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is poor and has set his heart on it.” “Before the sun sets,” be careful not to perish from the world because of him, before it is your time to perish, as it is written, “until the sun darkens,” implying the passing of a person from the world. Thus, one who satisfies the soul of a poor one, even when his days to depart from the world arrive, the Creator fills his soul and gives him more life.

85. “The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night.” One who takes the poor man’s pay, it is as though he takes his soul and the soul of the people of his household. He lessened their soul, the Creator lessens his days and lessons his soul from the world, since all the vapors that came out from the mouth of the poor man throughout that day rise before the Creator and stand before Him. Afterwards, his soul and the souls of the people of his household rise and stand in those vapors of his mouth, and demand judgment before the Creator. At that time, even if that person was decreed to have many days and much good, they are all uprooted and depart from him.

86. Moreover, his soul does not rise up. May the merciful one save us from them and from their affront. Even if one is rich, he must not hold back his wages. “He has set his heart on it,” even from any person, much less a poor one. Rav Hamnuna, when the hired worker would depart from his work, would give him his pay and say, “Take your soul, which you have deposited in my hands; take your deposit.”

87. Even if the hired worker says, “Let my pay be in your hands; I do not want to receive my pay,” he would not want it and would say, “The deposit of your body is unbecoming to be deposited in my hands, much less a deposit of the soul,” since a deposit of the soul is given only to the Creator, as it is written, “In Your hand, I commit my spirit.” Is it permitted to deposit his pay in the hands of another, who is not his employer? It is permitted to deposit even in the hands of his employer, after he has already given him his pay.

88. It is written, “You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets.” This means that he must give him his pay before sunset. Thus, why is it written, “The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night”? Is only a night’s stay forbidden? There is not a day that is not governed by another, higher day, one Sefira from the seven upper days, HGT NHYM. If he does not give him his soul, his pay, on the same day, he is as one who blemishes that upper day. For this reason, “You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets,” and the words “shall not remain … all night” concern the punishment, since at night, his soul rises up, and at that time, the soul of the poor man and the people of his household ascend.