Nickle and Dimed: The Value of Giving Charity (Master Copy)

(4) There shall be no needy among you—since the LORD your God will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a hereditary portion—

(11) For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land.

§ It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Meir would say: An opponent may bring an argument against you and say to you: If your God loves the poor, for what reason does He not support them Himself? In such a case, say to him: He commands us to act as His agents in sustaining the poor, so that through them we will be credited with the performance of mitzvot and therefore be saved from the judgment of Gehenna. And this is the question that Turnus Rufus the wicked asked Rabbi Akiva: If your God loves the poor, for what reason does He not support them Himself? Rabbi Akiva said to him: He commands us to sustain the poor, so that through them and the charity we give them we will be saved from the judgment of Gehenna. Turnus Rufus said to Rabbi Akiva: On the contrary, it is this charity which condemns you, the Jewish people, to Gehenna because you give it. I will illustrate this to you with a parable. To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a king of flesh and blood who was angry with his slave and put him in prison and ordered that he should not be fed or given to drink. And one person went ahead and fed him and gave him to drink. If the king heard about this, would he not be angry with that person? And you, after all, are called slaves, as it is stated: “For the children of Israel are slaves to Me” (Leviticus 25:55). If God decreed that a certain person should be impoverished, one who gives him charity defies the will of God. Rabbi Akiva said to Turnus Rufus: I will illustrate the opposite to you with a different parable. To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a king of flesh and blood who was angry with his son and put him in prison and ordered that he should not be fed or given to drink. And one person went ahead and fed him and gave him to drink. If the king heard about this once his anger abated, would he not react by sending that person a gift? And we are called sons, as it is written: “You are sons of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1).

Said Rabbi Avin: When a pauper stands by your door, God is standing at his right side... If you give to him, the One standing by his side will know and reward you, but if you do not give, the One by his side will punish you...

He said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And He donned charity like a coat of mail” (Isaiah 59:17)? This verse serves to tell you that just as with regard to this coat of mail, each and every scale of which it is fashioned combines to form one large coat of mail, so too with regard to charity, each and every peruta that one gives combines to form a great sum.

(1) We must be especially careful to observe the mitzvah of tzedakah, more so than any other positive mitzvah, for tzedakah is a sign of the righteous [tzadik] lineage of Abraham, our father, as it is said, (Genesis 18:19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity [to keep the way of the LORD] by doing what is just [tzedakah].¹⁷⁵See Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 79a. The throne of Israel is established and the religion of truth stands only on tzedakah, as it is said, (Isaiah 54:14) You shall be established through righteousness [tzedek]. And Israel will only be redeemed through tzedakah, as it is said, (Isaiah 1:27) Zion shall be saved in the judgment; her repentant ones, in the retribution [tzedakah].¹⁷⁶See Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 139a.

(2) Never has anyone become poor by giving to tzedakah, nor has anything bad ever come of it, nor has any harm occurred because of tzedakah, as it is said, (Isaiah 32:17) The work of righteousness [tzedakah] is peace. Anyone who shows compassion, others will show compassion to him, as it is said, (Deut. 13:18) [May God] show you compassion, and let your compassion increase.¹⁷⁷This is a play on the text. The original reads, "and in His compassion increase you," that is, God will multiply your descendants. Here, the compassion itself increases. And if someone is cruel and without compassion, then his lineage is suspect, for cruelty is only found among the idolatrous nations, as it is said, (Jer. 50:42) They are cruel, they show no mercy.¹⁷⁸See Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 151b. All Israel and all who are associated with them are like brothers, as it is said, (Deut. 14:1) You are children of the LORD your God.¹⁷⁹See Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 10a and the Introduction. And if a brother does not show compassion for another brother, then who will have compassion for him? And to whom can the poor of Israel look? To the idolatrous nations that hate them and pursue them? They can only look to rely upon their brothers.

(3) Anyone who averts his eyes from [the need of] tzedakah is called Belial ["Wickedness"], just as the idolaters worship Belial, and of the idolaters Scripture says, (Deut. 13:14) That some scoundrels [children of Belial] from among you have gone [and subverted the inhabitants of their town] by averting their eyes from [the need of] tzedakah. It says, (Deut. 15:9) Beware lest you harbor a base [belial] thought.¹⁸⁰See Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 68a. And such a person is called, "wicked," as it is said, (Prov. 12:10) The compassion of the wicked is cruelty. Such a person is called, "a sinner," as it is said, (Deut. 15:9) He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur a sin.¹⁸¹See Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 10a. The translation reads, "guilt," but the connection here is through "sin." The Holy One, Blessed Be He, is close to the cries of the poor, as it is said, (Job 34:28) He listens to the cry of the needy.¹⁸²Maimonides does not quote this exactly. Therefore, one needs to be especially sensitive to their cries, for they [the poor] have a covenant established [between them and God], as it is said, (Exodus 22:26) Therefore, if he cries out to Me, I will pay heed, for I am compassionate.

(4) Anyone who gives tzedakah to a poor person with a scowl and causes him to be embarrassed,¹⁸³Literally: causes his face to fall in shame. even if he gave him a thousand zuz, has destroyed and lost any merit thereby. Rather, one should give cheerfully, with happiness [to do so] and empathy for his plight, as it is said, (Job 30:25) Did I not weep for the unfortunate? Did I not grieve for the needy? And one should speak to him words of comfort and consolation, as it is said, (Job 29:13) [I received the blessing of the lost,] I gladdened the heart of the widow.

(5) If a poor person asks of you [to give him something], and you do not have anything in your possession to give to him, comfort him with words.¹⁸⁴See Leviticus Rabbah 34:15 as well as Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 9b. It is forbidden to speak harshly to a poor person or to raise your voice in a shout, for his heart is broken and crushed. Thus it says in Scripture, (Psalms 51:19) God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart. And it says, (Isaiah 57:15) Reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite. And woe to anyone who shames a poor person! Woe to him! Rather, let him be like a father to him, in compassion and in words, as it is said, (Job 29:15) I was a father to the needy.

(6) One who coerces others to give tzedakah is considered to have performed even a greater deed then the person who actually gives, as it is said, (Isaiah 32:17) For the work of the righteousness [tzedakah] shall be peace, [and the effect of righteousness [tzedakah], calm and confidence forever.]¹⁸⁵See Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 9a. The first half of the verse refers to the one who gives. The second part of the verse refers to one who coerces others and whose reward is more lasting. Of collectors of tzedakah and similar people it is written, (Daniel 12:3) Those who lead the many to righteousness [matzdiké harabim] will be like the stars [forever and ever].

(7) There are eight levels of tzedakah, each one greater than the other. The greatest level, higher than all the rest, is to fortify a fellow Jew and give him a gift, a loan, form with him a partnership, or find work for him, until he is strong enough so that he does not need to ask others [for sustenance]. Of this it is said, (Lev. 25:35) [If your kinsman, being in straits, comes under your authority,] and you hold him as though a resident alien, let him live by your side. That is as if to say, "Hold him up," so that he will not fall and be in need.¹⁸⁶See Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 63a.

(8) One level lower than this is one who gives tzedakah to the poor and does not know to whom he gives, and the poor person does not know from whom he receives.¹⁸⁷Maimonides holds the anonymity of both giver and receiver of great importance, but he does not require anonymity at the highest level of giving. This is perhaps because the highest level of giving addresses the source of poverty whereas giving something to a beggar only alleviates a person's temporary need. Preventing poverty is therefore of such importance that anonymity becomes secondary in that instance. This is purely a mitzvah for its own sake, such as the Chamber of Secrets in the Holy Temple, for there the righteous would give in secret [and leave], and the poor, of good background, would sustain themselves from it in secret. Very close to this is one who gives to the kupah of tzedakah, but one should not contribute to the kupah of tzedakah unless one is certain that the one who counts it is trustworthy and wise and behaves competently, as was Rabbi Chanania ben Teradion.¹⁸⁸See Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 10b and Avodah Zarah 17b. Rabbi Chanania ben Teradion had a reputation for competence and honesty, so he dealt with the collection and distribution of charity funds. He was later tortured and executed by the Romans.

(9) One level lower is one who gives tzedakah and the giver knows to whom he gives but the poor person does not know from whom he takes. Such did the great sages who would go in secret and throw money onto the doorways of the poor.¹⁸⁹See Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 67b. A method such as this one is a good way when the keepers of tzedakah do not behave competently.

(10) One level lower is when the poor person knows from whom he takes but the giver does not know to whom he gives. Such was the way of the sages who would tie coins to their garments and would throw the bundle over their shoulder so the poor could come up [behind them] and take [them] without being embarrassed.¹⁹⁰See Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 67b.

(11) One level lower is to give to him with one's own hand before he can ask.¹⁹¹It can be assumed that from this point on the situation is one of face to face encounter, handing something to another.

(12) One level lower is to give to him after he has asked.

(13) One level lower is to give him less than one should but with kindness.

(14) One level lower is to give to him begrudgingly.