Parashat Re'eh - Pondering Poverty

(1) Every seventh year you shall practice remission of debts. (2) This shall be the nature of the remission: all creditors shall remit the due that they claim from their fellow [Israelites]; they shall not dun their fellow [Israelites] or kin, for the remission proclaimed is of the Eternal. (3) You may dun the foreigner; but you must remit whatever is due you from your kin. (4) There shall be no needy among you—since your Eternal God will bless you in the land that your Eternal God is giving you as a hereditary portion— (5) if only you heed your Eternal God and take care to keep all this Instruction that I enjoin upon you this day. (6) For your Eternal God will bless you as promised: you will extend loans to many nations, but require none yourself; you will dominate many nations, but they will not dominate you.

(7) If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your Eternal God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin. (8) Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need. (9) Beware lest you harbour the base thought, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,” so that you are mean and give nothing to your needy kin—who will cry out to the Eternal against you, and you will incur guilt. (10) Give readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return your Eternal God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings. (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 kin in your land.

(2) You shall neither side with the many to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the many— (3) nor shall you show deference to a poor person in a dispute.

(3) The Eternal will not let the righteous go hungry, But denies the wicked what they crave.

(4) Negligent hands cause poverty, But diligent hands enrich.

(4) Another interpretation "If your kin is in straits..." (Lev 25:35) this is what is written: "A poor person and an oppressive one meet; The Eternal gives luster to the eyes of both." (Prov 29:13), "Rich and poor meet; The Eternal made them both." (Prov 22:2)...

Another interpretation: 'Poor', in material wealth, and 'oppressive', one who makes wages. The poor one stands with the oppressive and says: "Give me a mitzvah", and they give it, 'the Eternal gives lustre to the eyes of both", this one has acquired the life of an hour, and this one has acquired the life of the world to come.
'Rich and poor', 'rich' in material wealth, and 'poor' in material wealth. The poor stands with the rich and says: "Give me a mitzvah", and they don't give it, then "The Eternal made them both". The One who made this one poor can make them rich, and the one that made this one rich can make them poor.

The rich one says to the poor: "You do not go to work and [therefore have no food to] eat? See what forelegs! See what legs! See that stomach! See that flesh!"

The Holy Blessed One says: "Was it not enough that you didn't give anything of your own, you had to also put the Evil Eye on everything I gave them?!"

Therefore "they beget a child, and have nothing in their hand" (Ecc 5:13), of everything that one had, they will have nothing left to leave for their child and be afflicted themselves. Therefore Moses warned the Israelites - "And if your kin is in straits..."

Rabbi Abbahu said, and some say it was taught in a baraita: Three matters bring a person to poverty: One who urinates before his bed while naked, and one who demeans the ritual washing of the hands, and one whose wife curses him in his presence.

Rabba said: With these three matters homeowners become impoverished: That they emancipate their slaves; and that they inspect their property on Shabbat; and that they set their meals on Shabbat at the time of the sermon in the study hall...

(18) There was an incident involving King Munbaz (see Bava Batra 11a:3, Y. Peah I.1.19), who went and gave away all of his treasures [to the poor] in the years of drought, and his brothers said to him, "Your ancestors stored up treasures, and added to those of their fathers, and you went and gave away all your treasures, and those of your fathers." He said to them, "My ancestors stored treasures below, but I stored treasures above, as it is written (Psalms 85:12), 'Truth will spring out of the earth [and righteousness will look down from heaven].' My ancestors stored treasures in a place that a [human] hand can reach, but I stored treasures in a place that no hand can reach, as it says (Psalms 89:15), 'Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.' My ancestors stored treasures that do not bear fruit (i.e., generate profit), but I stored treasures that do bear fruit, as it says (Isaiah 3:10), 'Say of the righteous, that it shall be well [with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings].' My ancestors stored treasures of money, whereas I am storing treasures of souls, as it says (Proverbs 11:30), 'The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that wins souls is wise.' My ancestors stored treasures for others, whereas I am storing treasures for myself, as it says (Deut. 24:13), 'And it shall be as righteousness to you before Hashem your God.' My ancestors stored treasures for this world, whereas I am storing treasures for the world to come, as it says (Isaiah 58:8), 'And your righteousness shall go before you, [the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard].'"...

§ 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 God not support them directly? In such a case, say to him: God 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 God not support them? Rabbi Akiva said to him: God 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). 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).

Elijah said to bar Hei Hei, and some say that he said this to Rabbi Elazar: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction [oni]” (Isaiah 48:10)? This teaches that the Holy Blessed One sought after all good character traits to impart them to the Jewish people, and found only poverty [aniyut]. Shmuel said, and some say it was Rav Yosef: This explains the folk saying that people say: Poverty is good for the Jewish people like a red bridle [barza] for a white horse.

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari: From where is this matter derived whereby people say: Poverty follows the poor? Rabba bar Mari said to him: As we learned in a mishna (Bikkurim 3:8): Rich people would bring first fruits in baskets of gold and of silver, and poor people would bring first fruits in wicker baskets made of peeled willow, and they would give the baskets and the first fruits to the priests...