(א) מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לִתֵּן צְדָקָה לָעֲנִיִּים כְּפִי מַה שֶּׁרָאוּי לֶעָנִי. אִם הָיְתָה יַד הַנּוֹתֵן מַשֶּׂגֶת. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים טו ח) "פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ לוֹ" וְנֶאֱמַר (ויקרא כה לה) "וְהֶחֱזַקְתָּ בּוֹ גֵּר וְתוֹשָׁב וָחַי עִמָּךְ" וְנֶאֱמַר (ויקרא כה לו) "וְחֵי אָחִיךָ עִמָּךְ":
(1) It is a positive mitzvah to give tzedakah to the poor according to what is fitting for the poor person and as long as the giver can afford it, as it is said, (Deut. 15:8) Open your hand to him. And it is said, (Lev. 25:35) and you should support him, be him an immigrant or a native, and he should live by your side. And it is said (Lev. 25:36), And your brother shall live by your side.
Questions:
1) Why do we need three different sources for this Mitzvah? Even if it is mentioned several times in the Torah, why does Rambam care to identify every source?
2) The latter two verses seem to have a similar theme in that the goal of the Mitzvah is “so that he live by your side”. Is there significance to this theme?
3) with a deeper look, Rambam introduces the Mitzvah by defining it with two details: that it must be according to the poor’s needs and that it must be according to one’s means, i.e. you can’t give more than you can afford. The fact that Rambam spoke out these dtails before the sources implies that these aren’t merely details of the Mitzvah, but rather they are the very definition of the Mitzvah. In other words, the Mitzvah does not even start until it qualifies for these two points. What is Rambam teaching us by defining the very nature of the Mitzvah as being more than simply giving money, but rather giving according to one’s means everything that the poor person needs?
1) Why do we need three different sources for this Mitzvah? Even if it is mentioned several times in the Torah, why does Rambam care to identify every source?
2) The latter two verses seem to have a similar theme in that the goal of the Mitzvah is “so that he live by your side”. Is there significance to this theme?
3) with a deeper look, Rambam introduces the Mitzvah by defining it with two details: that it must be according to the poor’s needs and that it must be according to one’s means, i.e. you can’t give more than you can afford. The fact that Rambam spoke out these dtails before the sources implies that these aren’t merely details of the Mitzvah, but rather they are the very definition of the Mitzvah. In other words, the Mitzvah does not even start until it qualifies for these two points. What is Rambam teaching us by defining the very nature of the Mitzvah as being more than simply giving money, but rather giving according to one’s means everything that the poor person needs?
Explanation:
Perhaps Rambam is redefining Tzedakah for us. It is not merely a mechanical act of giving from one’s assets to another person who may ‘need’ them more. This would be an incomplete definition if it were true. The reason is that we all have preconceived notion about our wealth and standard of living. We gain a level of comfort in what we have that we convince ourselves that we ‘need’ a lot of our assets that may in reality be rather useless to us.
Maimonides sees Tzedakah as far more than a simple ‘act of charity’. Rather, it is a Mitzvah that forces us to call into question the way we relate to our assets - on a very fundamental level. It is not enough to give, rather one must be acutely aware of the needs of the person they are giving to. This requires an openness to the needs and lifestyles of others. This forces us to think of money from an outsiders perspective. “What do other people live on”, “Why do I need this if they do not”, are some of the questions we begin asking when we practice the first issue that Rambam raised.
Then we move from thinking of what the poor person needs and begin taking stock of our own wealth - giving only what we can afford. Well, what can we afford? This calls into question the assumptions we have made about our lifestyle and forces us to look critically at what we determine are our own ‘needs’.
It may come as a surprise when charity actually makes us value our assets more and not less. That is because assuming the Mitzvah is performed correctly, we are left with exactly what we need for real. We have actually sat and thought about what we need and how much is redundant and can be given away. Therefore, that which remains with us at the bottom line is truly ours. It is truly what we need, and it is what we can identify with. This is a profound and somewhat counterintuitive outcome.
After giving us this definition, Rambam needs to prove that this is in fact true. Therefore he highlights three distinct sources. The first - “you shall open your hand” is the simple act of giving, it sets forth the action that is required. The latter two affirm the nature of the giving - “that he may live by your side”. Living by our side means that their is a mutuality between us, we can share border conditions for real, not just out of pity. Allowing a brother or an immigrant to “live” with us implies understanding their needs - “let him live”, and understanding our own needs - “by your side”.
It is now clear how Rambam provides a profound and penetrating introduction to this Mitzvah. It is stunning that he was capable of doing so in such few words!
Perhaps Rambam is redefining Tzedakah for us. It is not merely a mechanical act of giving from one’s assets to another person who may ‘need’ them more. This would be an incomplete definition if it were true. The reason is that we all have preconceived notion about our wealth and standard of living. We gain a level of comfort in what we have that we convince ourselves that we ‘need’ a lot of our assets that may in reality be rather useless to us.
Maimonides sees Tzedakah as far more than a simple ‘act of charity’. Rather, it is a Mitzvah that forces us to call into question the way we relate to our assets - on a very fundamental level. It is not enough to give, rather one must be acutely aware of the needs of the person they are giving to. This requires an openness to the needs and lifestyles of others. This forces us to think of money from an outsiders perspective. “What do other people live on”, “Why do I need this if they do not”, are some of the questions we begin asking when we practice the first issue that Rambam raised.
Then we move from thinking of what the poor person needs and begin taking stock of our own wealth - giving only what we can afford. Well, what can we afford? This calls into question the assumptions we have made about our lifestyle and forces us to look critically at what we determine are our own ‘needs’.
It may come as a surprise when charity actually makes us value our assets more and not less. That is because assuming the Mitzvah is performed correctly, we are left with exactly what we need for real. We have actually sat and thought about what we need and how much is redundant and can be given away. Therefore, that which remains with us at the bottom line is truly ours. It is truly what we need, and it is what we can identify with. This is a profound and somewhat counterintuitive outcome.
After giving us this definition, Rambam needs to prove that this is in fact true. Therefore he highlights three distinct sources. The first - “you shall open your hand” is the simple act of giving, it sets forth the action that is required. The latter two affirm the nature of the giving - “that he may live by your side”. Living by our side means that their is a mutuality between us, we can share border conditions for real, not just out of pity. Allowing a brother or an immigrant to “live” with us implies understanding their needs - “let him live”, and understanding our own needs - “by your side”.
It is now clear how Rambam provides a profound and penetrating introduction to this Mitzvah. It is stunning that he was capable of doing so in such few words!