He further discoursed on the verse: THOU SHALT NOT OPPRESS THY NEIGHBOUR, NOR ROB HIM; THE WAGES OF A HIRED SERVANT SHALL NOT ABIDE WITH THEE ALL NIGHT UNTIL MORNING. ‘The reason for this last injunction is to be found in the verse, “In his day thou shalt give him his hire, and the sun shall not go down upon him” (Deut. 24, 15): that is to say, that thou be not gathered in from the world on his account before thy time cometh. From this we learn another thing, that if one restores the soul of a poor man, even if his time has arrived to depart from the world, God restores his soul and gives him a further lease of life.’
To withhold the wage of a poor man is like taking his life and the life of his household. As he diminishes their souls, so God diminishes his days, and cuts off his soul from the other world. For all the breaths which issue from his mouth for the whole of that day ascend and stand before the Almighty, and afterwards his soul and the souls of his household ascend and stand in those breaths. Thus, even if length of days and many blessings had been decreed for that man, they are all withdrawn, nor does his soul mount aloft. Therefore R. Abba said: God save us from them and from their plaint! And the same is true even if it is a rich man, and his right is withheld from him.
Hence R. Hamnuna, when a hired worker had finished his work, used to give him his wage and say to him: Take your soul which you have entrusted to my hand! Take your deposit!
And even if the other asked him to keep it for him, he was unwilling to do so, saying: It is not fitting that your body shall be deposited with me, still less then your soul, which should be deposited only with God.
Why is it written, “On his day thou shalt give him his hire”? Because every day is under the surveillance of another, a supernal Day, and if he does not give him his soul on that day, it is as if he impairs that supernal Day.’
תּוּ פָּתַח, (ויקרא י״ט:י״ג-י״ד) לֹא תַעֲשׁוֹק אֶת רֵעֲךָ וְלֹא תִגְזוֹל לֹא תָלִין פְּעוּלַּת שָׂכִיר אִתְּךָ עַד בֹּקֶר. לֹא תָּלִין פְּעוּלַּת שָׂכִיר אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא מִקְּרָא אָחֳרָא אִשְׁתְּמַע, דִּכְתִּיב, (דברים כ״ד:ט״ו) בְּיוֹמוֹ תִתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ וְלֹא תָבֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי עָנִי הוּא וְאֵלָיו הוּא נוֹשֵׂא אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ. לֹא תָבֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, אִזְדְּהַר דְּלָא תִּתְכְּנִש בְּגִינוֹי מֵעָלְמָא, עַד לָא יִמְטֵי זִמְנָךְ לְאִתְכַּנְּשָׁא. כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר, (קהלת י״ב:ב׳) עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֶחְשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְגוֹ'. מֵהָכָא אוֹלִיפְנָא מִלָּה אָחֳרָא, מַאן דְּאַשְׁלִים לְנַפְשָׁא דְּמִסְכְּנָא. אֲפִילּוּ דְּמָטוּ יוֹמוֹי לְאִסְתַּלְּקָא מֵעָלְמָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַשְׁלִים לְנַפְשֵׁיהּ, וְיָהִיב לֵיהּ חַיִּין יַתִּיר.
He further discoursed on the verse: THOU SHALT NOT OPPRESS THY NEIGHBOUR, NOR ROB HIM; THE WAGES OF A HIRED SERVANT SHALL NOT ABIDE WITH THEE ALL NIGHT UNTIL MORNING. ‘The reason for this last injunction is to be found in the verse, “In his day thou shalt give him his hire, and the sun shall not go down upon him” (Deut. 24, 15): that is to say, that thou be not gathered in from the world on his account before thy time cometh. From this we learn another thing, that if one restores the soul of a poor man, even if his time has arrived to depart from the world, God restores his soul and gives him a further lease of life.’
לֹא תָלִין פְּעוּלַּת שָׂכִיר, תָּא חֲזֵי, מַאן דְּנָטִיל אַגְרָא דְּמִסְכְּנָא, כְּאִילּוּ נָטִיל נַפְשֵׁיהּ, וּדְאַנְשֵׁי בֵּיתֵיהּ. הוּא אַזְעַר נַפְשַׁיְיהוּ, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַזְעִיר יוֹמוֹי, וְאַזְעַר נַפְשֵׁיהּ, מֵהַהוּא עָלְמָא. דְּהָא כָּל אִינּוּן הֲבָלִים דְּנַפְקֵי מִפּוּמֵיהּ, כָּל הַהוּא יוֹמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ סַלְּקִין קַמֵּיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְקַיְימִין קַמֵּיהּ, לְבָתַר סַלְּקָא נַפְשֵׁיהּ, וְנַפְשַׁיְיהוּ דְּאַנְשֵׁי בֵּיתֵיהּ, וְקַיְימִין, בְּאִינּוּן הֲבָלִים דְּפוּמֵיהּ. וּכְדֵין, אֲפִילּוּ אִתְגְּזַר עַל הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ כַּמָה יוֹמִין, וְכַמָּה טָבָאן, כֻּלְּהוּ מִתְעַקְּרָאן מִנֵּיהּ, וּמִסְתַּלְקֵי מִנֵּיהּ.
To withhold the wage of a poor man is like taking his life and the life of his household. As he diminishes their souls, so God diminishes his days, and cuts off his soul from the other world. For all the breaths which issue from his mouth for the whole of that day ascend and stand before the Almighty, and afterwards his soul and the souls of his household ascend and stand in those breaths. Thus, even if length of days and many blessings had been decreed for that man, they are all withdrawn, nor does his soul mount aloft. Therefore R. Abba said: God save us from them and from their plaint! And the same is true even if it is a rich man, and his right is withheld from him.
וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּנַפְשָׁא דִּילֵיהּ לָא סַלְּקָא לְעֵילָּא, וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, רַחֲמָנָא לִשֵׁזְבִינָן מִנַּיְיהוּ, וּמֵעֶלְבּוֹנַיְיהוּ. וְאוֹקְמוּהָ אֲפִילּוּ עָשִׁיר הוּא, וְאֵלָיו הוּא נוֹשֵׂא אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ דַּיְיקָא, אֲפִילּוּ מִכָּל בַּר נָשׁ נָמֵי, וְכָּל שֶׁכֵּן מִסְכְּנָא. וְהַיְינוּ דְּהֲוָה רַב הַמְנוּנָא עָבִיד, כַּד הֲוָה הַהוּא אָגִיר מִסְתְּלַק מֵעַבִידְתֵּיהּ, הֲוָה יָהִיב לֵיהּ אַגְרֵיהּ, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ, טוֹל נַפְשָׁךְ דְּאַפְקִידַת בִּידָאי, טוֹל פִּקְדוֹנָךְ.
Hence R. Hamnuna, when a hired worker had finished his work, used to give him his wage and say to him: Take your soul which you have entrusted to my hand! Take your deposit!
וַאֲפִילּוּ אָמַר יְהֵא בִּידָךְ, דַּאֲנָא (לא) בָּעֵינָא לְסַלְּקָא אַגְרִי. לָא הֲוָה בָּעֵי. אָמַר פִּקְדוֹנָא דְּגוּפָךְ, לָא אִתְחֲזֵי לְאִתְפָּקְדָא בִּידִי, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן פִּקְדוֹנָא דְּנַפְשָׁא. דְּהָא פִּקְדוֹנָא דְּנַפְשָׁא לָא אִתְיְהִיבַת, אֶלָּא לְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים ל״א:ו׳) בְּיָדְךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי, אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, וּבִידָא דְּאָחֳרָא שָׁארֵי. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אֲפִילּוּ בִּידֵיהּ, בָּתַר דְּיָהִיב.
And even if the other asked him to keep it for him, he was unwilling to do so, saying: It is not fitting that your body shall be deposited with me, still less then your soul, which should be deposited only with God.
כְּתִיב לֹא תָלִין פְּעוּלַּת שָׂכִיר, וּכְתִיב וְלֹא תָבֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ. אֶלָּא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ, אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי לֵית לָךְ יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא, דְּלָא שַׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ יוֹמָא עִלָּאָה אָחֳרָא. וְאִי אִיהוּ לָא יָהִיב לֵיהּ נַפְשָׁא דִּילֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא, כְּמַאן דְּפָגִים לְהַהוּא יוֹמָא עִלָּאָה. וּבְגִּינֵי כַּךְ בְּיוֹמוֹ תִתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ, וְלֹא תָבֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ. וְהָא דְּאִתְּמַר לֹא תָלִין, בְּגִין דְּנַפְשֵׁיהּ לָא סָלִיק, וְסָלִיק הַהוּא נַפְשָׁא דְּמִסְכְּנָא, וּדְאַנְשֵׁי בֵּיתֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר.
Why is it written, “On his day thou shalt give him his hire”? Because every day is under the surveillance of another, a supernal Day, and if he does not give him his soul on that day, it is as if he impairs that supernal Day.’