תלמוד בבלי מסכת בבא בתרא דף ח עמוד ב
תמחוי - בכל יום, קופה - מערב שבת לערב שבת, תמחוי - לעניי עולם, קופה - לעניי העיר;ורשאים בני
העיר לעשות קופה תמחוי ותמחוי קופה, ולשנותה לכל מה שירצו
Food is distributed every day, the charity fund every Friday. The soup kitchen is for all comers, the charity fund for the poor of the town only. The townspeople, however, are at liberty to use the soup kitchen like the charity fund and vice versa, and to apply them to whatever purposes they choose. [Soncino translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. Why is food distributed every day but the charity fund only once a week? What is different about these two needs?
2. Why is the soup kitchen designated for everyone but the charity only for the townspeople? What situations would necessitate changing these terms?
3. What are different ways that we respond to the needs of members of our own community versus the needs of people foreign to us? Why?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)