Send. It warns someone with means to be generous and open-handed to those he knows and doesn't know. And some explain, the waters are waters of a pool with fish, and we have no use for this explanation.
Contribute to seven and even eight. If you shared your food and your drink with seven who need kindness,5Alternatively, when giving charity, give priority to the needy who are Shabbos observers [=לשבעה], symbolized by the seventh day of the week, Shabbos, over the needy who do not observe Shabbos; and give priority to Jews [=לשבעה], symbolized by the eighth day of circumcision], over non-Jews. (Derech Hachayim) share further with eight more who come after them, and do not say, “Enough.”
תֶּן חֵלֶק לְשִׁבְעָה וְגַם לִשְׁמוֹנָה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר תֶּן חֵלֶק לְשִׁבְעָה, אֵלּוּ שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי שַׁבָּת, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (מלכים א יח, מד): וַיְהִי בַּשְּׁבִעִית, בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. וְגַם לִשְׁמוֹנָה, אֵלּוּ שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי הַמִּילָה, דִּכְתִיב (מלכים א יח, מב): וַיָּשֶׂם פָּנָיו בֵּין בִּרְכָּו וגו', וְלָמָּה בֵּין בִּרְכָּו, אֶלָּא אָמַר לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם אֲפִלּוּ אֵין בְּיַד בָּנֶיךָ אֶלָּא זְכוּת שְׁתֵּי מִצְווֹת הַלָּלוּ, שַׁבָּת וּמִילָה, כְּדַאי שֶׁתְּרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, תֶּן חֵלֶק לְשִׁבְעָה, אֵלּוּ שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הַפֶּסַח. וְגַם לִשְׁמוֹנָה, אֵלּוּ שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי הֶחָג.
Give a portion to seven and also to eight, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua have two interpretations: Rabbi Eliezer says, give a portion to seven, these are the days of the week, as it says, "And it was on the seventh, on the Sabbath." And also to eight, these are the days of the circumcision, as it says: And he put his head between his legs. Why between his legs? He said before God, Master of the Universe, even if your sons only have the merit of these two mitzvot, Shabbat and mila, it is worth having mercy upon them.
By Richard Wilbur
The New Yorker, March 15, 2010
We must cast our bread
Upon the waters, as the
Ancient preacher said,
Trusting that it may
Amply be restored to us
After many a day.
That old metaphor,
Drawn from rice farming on the
River’s flooded shore,
Helps us to believe
That it’s no great sin to give,
Hoping to receive.
Therefore I shall throw
Broken bread, this sullen day,
Out across the snow,
Betting crust and crumb
That birds will gather, and that
One more spring will come.
G.K. Chesterton
There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray,
Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.
There is one blasphemy: for death to pray,
For God alone knoweth the praise of death.
There is one creed: ’’neath no world-terror’s wing
Apples forget to grow on apple-trees.
There is one thing is needful everything
The rest is vanity of vanities.
Anonymous
Light is sweet! and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. However many years mortals may live, let them, as they enjoy them all, remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that is to come is vanity.
Rejoice, O youth, while you are young
and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart,
the vision of your eyes;
Yet understand regarding all this
that God will bring you to judgment.
Banish misery from your heart
and remove pain from your body,
for youth and black hair are fleeting.