Tzedakah, the Ark & Nachum Ish Gamzu

To not remove the poles of the ark from it: To not remove the poles of the ark from the rings, as it is stated (Exodus 25:15), "The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it." And it is elucidated that this commandment is among the commandments practiced throughout the generations. As the understanding of 'practiced throughout the generations' is not that the doing of that commandment never cease from Israel ever at any time. Rather the matter is like this: Any commandment that was only commanded to do at a specific time and not more - such as that which is written (Exodus 19:15), "Be in preparation for three days"; and so [too,] the warning of Sinai (Exodus 34:3), "neither shall the flocks and the herds graze across from that mountain"; and all that is similar to it, wherein the command was only temporary - those are called commandments that are not practiced throughout the generations. But any commandment that we were not commanded about [only] for a specific time - even though there is a pause at any given time because of our exile or by reason of something else, such as now when, on account of our sins, we do not have the ark - is called a commandment practiced throughout the generations. As any time that we have the ark, we are obligated not to remove its poles from it, so that the Levites [may] take [the ark] out with them, if we need to bring it from one place to another place as a result of war or from whatever reason that [may] arise.

§ They said about Naḥum of Gam Zu that he was blind in both eyes, both his arms were amputated, both his legs were amputated, and his entire body was covered in boils. And he was lying in a dilapidated house, and legs of his bed were placed in buckets of water so that ants should not climb onto him, as he was unable to keep them off in any other manner. Once his students sought to remove his bed from the house and afterward remove his other vessels. He said to them: My sons, remove the vessels first, and afterward remove my bed, as I can guarantee you that as long as I am in the house, the house will not fall. Indeed they removed the vessels and afterward they removed his bed, and immediately the house collapsed.

His students said to him: Rabbi, since you are evidently a wholly righteous man, as we have just seen that as long as you were in your house it did not fall, why has this suffering befallen you? He said to them: My sons, I brought it upon myself. Naḥum of Gam Zu related to them the following: As once I was traveling along the road to my father-in-law’s house, and I had with me a load distributed among three donkeys, one of food, one of drink, and one of delicacies. A poor person came and stood before me in the road, saying: My rabbi, sustain me. I said to him: Wait until I unload the donkey, after which I will give you something to eat. However, I had not managed to unload the donkey before his soul left his body.

I went and fell upon his face and said: May my eyes, which had no compassion on your eyes, be blinded; may my hands, which had no compassion on your hands, be amputated; may my legs, which had no compassion on your legs, be amputated. And my mind did not rest until I said: May my whole body be covered in boils. Naḥum of Gam Zu prayed that his suffering might atone for his failure. His students said to him: Even so, woe to us that we have seen you in this state. He said to them: Woe is me if you had not seen me in this state, as this suffering atones for me.

It is a positive Biblical command to give Tzedakah according to one's means. There are numerous positive commands as to Tzedakah; and also a negative command not to close one's eyes to charity, for it is written, "Thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand [from thy poor brother]."¹Deut. 15:7. And he who closes his eyes to it is called "wicked." The word is Beliya’al, which occurs in Deut. 15:9. and is regarded as if he worships idols. One should take great heed in giving Tzedakah, that he be not the cause of bloodshed, for the poor man in need may die before help reaches him if it is not offered quickly, as in the story of Nahum Ish Gamzu.