1. What does it mean to encourage someone with words?
2. How is this more important than giving someone money?
1) How do you think God might ‘bless people in their work’ for giving to the poor?
2) Traditional Jews believe that all texts appear in the bible for a reason. If so, why are we told, “there will never cease to be needy ones in your land?”
3) Do you believe that we can ever satisfy all human needs? If not, then why do we continue to try?
| Translation | Original |
|---|---|
| Our Sages taught: Gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness) is greater than tzedakah in three ways: Acts of tzedakah involve only one’s money – gemilut chasadim can involve both money or one’s personal service. Tzedakah can be given only to the poor – gemilut chasadim can be done both for the rich and for the poor. Tzedakah can be given only to the living – gemilut chasadim can be done both for the living and the dead. [AJWS translation] |
תנו רבנן: בשלשה דברים גדולה גמילות חסדים יותר מן הצדקה, צדקה - בממונו, גמילות חסדים - בין בגופו בין בממונו. צדקה - לעניים, גמילות חסדים - בין לעניים בין לעשירים. צדקה - לחיים, גמילות חסדים - בין לחיים בין למתים.
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1. In what ways can acts of lovingkindness be done for the wealthy?
2. How can we add lovingkindness to our tzedakah?
3. How can we add lovingkindness to our foreign assistance policies? to our domestic policies?
מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים תַּעֲשֶׂה שְׁמִטָּה: וְזֶה דְּבַר הַשְּׁמִטָּה שָׁמוֹט כָּל בַּעַל מַשֵּׁה יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר יַשֶּׁה בְּרֵעֵהוּ לֹא יִגֹּשׂ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ וְאֶת אָחִיו כִּי קָרָא שְׁמִטָּה לַה': אֶת הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֶת אָחִיךָ תַּשְׁמֵט יָדֶךָ: אֶפֶס כִּי לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּךָ אֶבְיוֹן כִּי בָרֵךְ יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ: רַק אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם: כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בֵּרַכְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְהַעֲבַטְתָּ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וְאַתָּה לֹא תַעֲבֹט וּמָשַׁלְתָּ בְּגוֹיִם רַבִּים וּבְךָ לֹא יִמְשֹׁלוּ:
1. What attitude do we find in this text regarding financial success?
2. Why is it important to have a remission of debts? How does this shape a society?
3. What are the reasons debt relief has been such an important topic in global issues? What lessons does this text offer governments could use when writing policy on lending and debt?
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. In what ways are these things not measurable?
3. How does a person reap benefits from these acts?
1. Do you think that there is a difference between the mitzvah of leaving the corners of your field unharvested and the mitzvah of not returning to pick up what was left or forgotten? If so, what is the difference?
2. According to these verses, how much of any harvest belongs to the “owner?” Why? What does this tell us about who really “owns” the land? the trees? the labor? the produce?
3. What is the value of having the needy come to harvest their own portion?
4. We do not live in an agricultural society today. Do you think this text has contemporary relevance? How might we apply this sense of mandatory sharing of our earnings to the world we live in?
1. According to this text, every person has at least one of the above traits. Which do you have - and when?
2. What is the relationship between timidness and action?
| Translation | Original |
|---|---|
| A most generous person who gives tzedakah beyond their financial ability or squeezes themselves to give to the collector in order not to shame themselves, it is forbidden to demand and collect tzedakah from them, and the collector who shames them by asking for money, in the future the Holy One will punish that person. So the sages said (Baba Batra 8a) that as it is written, “I will punish all that oppress them,” this has been extended to tzedakah collectors who pressure givers into giving when the giver is not “estimated” to give that amount.... [Translation by Rabbi Bruce Elder. Edited for gender neutrality] |
איש נדיב ביותר שנותן צדקה יותר מכפי יכולתו או שמיצר לעצמו ונותן לגבאי כדי שלא יתבייש אסור לתובעו ולגבות ממנה צדקה והגבאי שמכלימו ושואל ממנו עתיד הקב"ה ליפרע ממנו וכך אמרו חז"ל [ב"ב ח' ב] דהא דכתיב ופקדתי על כל לוחציו קאי על גבאי צדקה שלוחצים להנותן ליתן והוא אינו אמור ליתן ע"ש.
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1. What is the purpose of the tzedakah collector?
2. Is it wise to give beyond your ability? How do we know what the limits of our ability are?
3. Why is it so important for the collector not to shame or pressure people?