One year before Pesach, Rabbi Israel Salanter as usual took great care to prepare his shmurah matzah, spending a great deal of money to carry out his stringent requirements. He had a man reap some wheat by hand, dry it and thresh it. Rabbi Israel usually put the kernels in a box and then grind the grain in a handmill and oversee the bakers (Or Israel).
But that year, Rabbi Israel realized that he would be unable to be present during the matzah baking. Some of his students noticed Rabbi Israel's distress, and they approached him. “Rabbi, tell us what you are particularly concerned about during the baking of the matzah, and we will make sure that it is done.”
Rabbi Israel answered, “I ask only one thing. In your zeal, don’t rush the woman kneading the dough, because she is a widow, and the Torah tells us, ‘You shall not oppress the widow.’” He added, “The kashrus of the matzos is not made complete when you care for even the most stringent Pesach halachah, but only when you are scrupulous about the halachos of Choshen Mishpat—treating other people in business correctly.”
cf. Tenuat Hamusar
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