Beit Rabban Tzedakah week 1

Our rabbis taught: A poor person, a rich person and a evil person come before the heavenly court. They ask the poor person, “Why did you not study Torah?” If the poor person answers, “I was poor and worried about earning a living,” they will ask the poor person, “Were you poorer than Hillel?” For it was told of Hillel that every day he used to work and earn one tropaik [small amount], half of which he would give as tuition to the doorkeeper at the House of Learning; the other half he would spend on his and his family’s needs. One day, he was unable to earn anything and the doorkeeper would not permit him to enter the House of Learning. So he climbed up to the roof and sat upon the window to hear the words of the Living God out of the mouths of Shmaya and Avtalion. That day was a Friday in the middle of winter, and snow fell on him from the sky. When the dawn rose, Shmaya said to Avtalion, “Brother Avtalion, every day, this house is light and today it is dark.” They looked up and saw the figure of a man in the window. They went up and found Hillel covered by four feet of snow. They brought him down, bathed and anointed him, and placed him in front of the fire... They ask the rich person, “Why did you not study Torah?” If the rich person answers, “I was rich and preoccupied with my possessions,” they say to the rich person, “Do you mean to say you were richer than Rabbi Eleazar?” Of Rabbi Eleazar ben Harsom, it is reported that his father left him an inheritance of one thousand cities on land and a thousand ships on sea. Yet every day he would take a sack of flour on his shoulder and go from city to city and province to province for the sole purpose of studying the Torah... They ask the evil person, “Why did you not study Torah?” If the evil person says, “I was so good-looking that I was too busy just keeping my passions under control,” they will ask him, “Do you mean to say you were better-looking then Joseph?” It was told of Joseph the virtuous that every day Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him with words and actions. The dresses she put on for him in the morning, she did not wear in the evening; those she put on in the evening, she did not wear the next morning. She said to him, “Yield to me!” He said, “No.” She said, “I will have you imprisoned” [if you don’t]...Finally, she offered him a thousand pieces of silver if only he would lie with her, but he refused... Thus, the poor who do not study Torah stand condemned by the examples set by Hillel. The rich who do not study Torah stand condemned by the example set by Rabbi Eleazar ben Harsom. And the evil who do not study Torah stand condemned by the example set by Joseph.

“If, however, there is among you” - and not among others. “A needy person” - when one is starving, the one who is starving takes precedence. “One of your kinspeople” - this is your kin from your father’s side...your kin from your father’s side precedes your kind from your mother’s side. “In any of your settlements” - the poor of your city take precedence over the poor of another city. “In your land” - the residents of your land precede those outside your land. When the text says “in any of your settlements” - if the needy person resided in one place, you are commanded to support that person. If, however, that individual moved between places, you are not obligated to provide everything. “That the Lord is giving you” - in every place. [Translation by AJWS]

R. Isaac said: Anyone who gives a coin to a poor person is blessed with six blessings, but one who encourages the poor with words is blessed with eleven. [Soncino translation. Edited for gender neutrality]

It was taught: If there is a begger who goes from door to door, we pay no attention to him. A certain poor person who used to beg door to door came to Rav Pappa [asking for money]' but he ignored her. Rav Samma the son of Rabbi Yeiva said to Rav Pappa: If you do not pay attention to him, other people will not pay attention to him!Is she then to die?! But, [replied Rav Pappa] has it not been taught, "If there is a beggar who goes from door to door, we pay no attention to him?" Rav Samma answered: We do not pay attention to [the beggar's request for a large donation] but we do listen [to his request for] a small donation. [Translation Rabbi Elizabeth Richman]

When that great calamity came upon Job, he said to the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the universe, did I not feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty. . . ? And did I not clothe the naked?" Nevertheless the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Job: ''Job, you have not yet reached even half the measure of Abraham. You sit and stay in your house and the wayfarers come in to you. To him who is accustomed to eat wheat bread, you give wheat bread to eat; to him who is accustomed to eat meat, you give meat to eat; to him who is accustomed to drink wine, you give wine to drink. But Abraham did not act in this way. Instead, he would go out and around everywhere, and when he found wayfarers, he brought them into his house. To him who was unaccustomed to eat wheat bread, he gave wheat bread to eat; to him who was unaccustomed to eat meat, he gave meat to eat; to him who was unaccustomed to drink wine, he gave wine to drink. And more than that, he arose and built large mansions on the highways and left food and drink there, and every passerby ate and drank and blessed Heaven. That is why delight of spirit was given to him. [AJWS translation]

Rabbi Yeshoshua ben Korcha says: Anyone who averts their eyes from tzedakah is like one who worships idolatry. It is written here: "Beware lest you harbor the base thought, ['The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching']…" (Deuteronomy 15:9), and it is written there: "Base people have gone out [from among you and subverted the inhabitants of their town]..." (Deuteronomy 13:14); just as there it is idolatry, so here it is idolatry. [Soncino translation. Edited for gender neutrality]