We are obligated to be careful with regard to the mitzvah of charity to a greater extent than all [other] positive commandments,¹ 9a states that charity is equivalent to all the mitzvot. because charity is an identifying mark for a righteous person, a descendant of Abraham,² 79a mentions deeds of kindness as one of the three distinguishing signs of the Jewish people. our patriarch, as [Genesis 18:19] states: "I have known him, because he commands his children... to perform charity." The throne of Israel will not be established, nor will the true faith stand except through charity, as [Isaiah 54:14] states: "You shall be established through righteousness." And Israel will be redeemed solely through charity, as [ibid. 1:27] states: "Zion will be redeemed through judgment and those who return to her through charity."

footnotes: ¹ Similarly, Bava Batra ² Similarly, Yevamot

A person will never become impoverished from giving charity. No harm nor damage will ever be caused because of charity,³ as [ibid. 32:17] states: "And the deed of charity is peace." Everyone who is merciful evokes mercy from others, as [Deuteronomy 13:18] states: "And He shall grant you mercy and shower mercy upon you and multiply you." Whenever a person is cruel and does not show mercy, his lineage is suspect,⁴ 32b states: "Whenever one does not show mercy to the created beings, it can be recognized that he is not from the seed of Abraham our patriarch." for cruelty is found only among the gentiles, as [Jeremiah 50:42] states: "They are cruel and will not show mercy."⁵. The entire Jewish people and all those who attach themselves to them are as brothers, as [Deuteronomy 14:1] states: "You are children unto God your Lord." And if a brother will not show mercy to a brother, who will show mercy to them? To whom do the poor of Israel lift up their eyes? To the gentiles who hate them and pursue them? Behold their eyes are pointed to their brethren alone.

footnotes: ³ On the contrary, it leads to blessing, as Proverbs 28:27 states: "He who gives to the poor will not lack." ⁴ Beitzah ⁵ See also the conclusion of Hilchot Avadim

Anyone who turns his eyes away from [giving] charity is described as being "rebellious" like someone who worships false divinities is described as "rebellious, as [Deuteronomy 13:14] states with regard to the worship of false divinities: "Rebellious men went out." And with regard to a person who turns his eyes away from [giving] charity, [ibid. 15:9] states: "Be careful, lest a rebellious thought arise in your heart." Such a person is also called "wicked," as [Proverbs 12:10] states: "The mercies of the wicked are cruel." And he is called a sinner, as [Deuteronomy, loc. cit.,] states: "And he shall cry out against you to God and you will be deemed as sinning." The Holy One, blessed be He, is close to the outcry of the poor, as it is written:⁶ "You hear the outcry of the poor." Therefore one must be careful with regard to their outcry, for a covenant has been established with them, as [Exodus 22:26] states: "When he will cry out to Me, I will listen, for I am compassionate."

footnotes: ⁶ There is no verse that fits the wording the Rambam quotes. Commentaries have notes that Job 34:28 reads: "He hears the cry of the poor" and Psalms 22:25 states: "And when he cries out to Him, He will listen."

Whenever a person gives charity to a poor person with an unpleasant countenance and with his face buried in the earth, he loses and destroys his merit⁷ 5a states that it is preferable for one not to give charity at all than for him to give in an undesirable manner." even if he gives him 1000 gold pieces. Instead, he should give him with a pleasant countenance and with happiness, commiserating with him about his troubles, as [Job 30:25] states: "Did I not weep for those who face difficult times; did not my soul feel sorrow for the destitute?" And he should speak to him words of sympathy and comfort, as [ibid. 29:13] states: "I would bring joy to a widow's heart."

footnotes: ⁷ Chagigah

If a poor person asks one for a donation and he has nothing to give him, he should conciliate him with words.⁸ 9b states: "A person who gives a p'rutah to a poor person is granted six blessings, while one who conciliates with him is granted eleven." The simple meaning of this instruction is to share words of comfort with the poor person, for this can be worth more than money to him. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 249:4), however, interprets it as meaning that one should excuse himself saying that he desires to give, but does not have the means. It is forbidden to scold a poor person or to raise one's voice against him while shouting, because his heart is broken and crushed, and [Psalms 51:19] states: "God will not scorn a broken and crushed heart." And [Isaiah 57:15 describes as Divine the attribute of] "reviv[ing] the spirit of the lowly and revitalize[ing] the heart of the crushed." Woe unto he who shames the poor, woe be he! Instead, one should be like a father to him, both in mercies and in words, as [Job 29:16] states: "I am a father to the destitute."

footnotes: ⁸ Bava Batra

A person who compels others to give charity and motivates them to do so receives a greater reward than the person who actually gives, as [alluded to by Isaiah 32:17]: "And the deed⁹ translated as "work" can also be interpreted as meaning "compel." In that context, the verse can be interpreted as praise for a person who compels a colleague to give charity. of charity is peace." With regard to the collectors of charity and the like can be applied [the words of praise, Daniel 12:3]: "Those who bring merit to the many are like the stars."

footnotes: ⁹ The word ma'aseh

There are eight levels in charity, each level surpassing the other. The highest level beyond which there is none is a person who supports a Jew who has fallen into poverty [by] giving him a present or a loan, entering into partnership with him,¹⁰ 249:7 states that this is the most preferable way of helping a person. or finding him work so that his hand will be fortified so that he will not have to ask others [for alms].¹¹ sec. v) compares it to a person supporting a colleague who is stumbling. Before he falls, one person can hold him up. Once he falls, even five people cannot raise him. Moreover, if a person is given gifts in this way, his self-esteem is not impaired and he does not develop a negative self-image. Concerning this [Leviticus 25:35] states: "You shall support him, the stranger, the resident, and he shall live among you." Implied is that you should support him before he falls and becomes needy.

footnotes: ¹⁰ The Siftei Cohen ¹¹ Before the person has fallen into poverty, his financial position is still viable. Hopefully, with a little bit of assistance, he can rectify his situation and return to prosperity. In that vein, the Sifra (Behar,

A lower [level] than this is one who gives charity to the poor without knowing to whom he gave and without the poor person knowing from whom he received. For this is an observance of the mitzvah for its sake alone.¹² This [type of giving was] exemplified by the secret chamber that existed in the Temple. The righteous would make donations there in secret and poor people of distinguished lineage would derive their livelihood from it in secret. A level close to this is giving to a charity fund.¹³ A person should not give to a charity fund unless he knows that the person managing it is faithful, wise, and capable of administering it in a proper manner as Rebbe Chananya ben Tradyon was.¹⁴ 17b gives an example of Rabbi Chananya's faithfulness. He was collecting both for the ordinary charity fund and for the special charity fund for Purim and the money from the two collections became mixed together. To make sure that the poor were not short-changed, he compensated for any possible discrepancy from his own funds. Tosafot, Bava Batra 10b, states that we do not expect every charity collector to be as righteous as Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon, but we do expect that he approximate his faithfulness.

footnotes: ¹² I.e., since neither the donor nor the recipient knows the other's identity, there can be no ulterior motive involved. ¹³ For in this instance, as well, the person does not know to whom his donation is being given and the recipient does not know who made the donation. ¹⁴ Avodah Zarah

A lower level than that is an instance when the giver knows to whom he is giving, but the poor person does not know from whom he received. An example of this were the great Sages who would go in secret and throw money into the doorways of the poor.¹⁵ 67b relates that Mar Ukva would throw a certain amount of money under a poor neighbor's doorstep every day. One day, the poor man desired to see who his benefactor was and when he saw the money, he ran out to the street. Mar Ukva saw him coming and fled, to avoid detection, he entered an oven which though still hot, no longer had fire. When asked to explain his behavior, he said: "It is preferable for a person to cast himself into an oven than to embarrass a colleague in public." This is a worthy way of giving charity and it is a good quality [to express] if the trustees of the charitable fund are not conducting themselves appropriately. ¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁵ Ketubot ¹⁶ In such an instance, it would not be desirable for a person to distribute his charity himself rather than give it to the charitable fund.

A lower level than that is an instance when the poor person knows from whom he took, but the donor does not know to whom he gave. An example of this were the great Sages who would bundle coins in a sheet and hang them over their shoulders and the poor would come and take them so that they would not be embarrassed.¹⁷, relates that Rabbi Abba would conduct himself in this manner.

footnotes: ¹⁷ Ketubot, loc. cit.

A lower level than that is giving [the poor person] in his hand before he asks.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁸ In this way, at least the poor person is not humbled by having to ask for the alms.

A lower level than that is giving him after he asks.

A lower level than this is giving him less than what is appropriate, but with a pleasant countenance.

A lower level than that is giving him with sadness.

Great sages would give a p'rutah to a poor person¹⁹ before every prayer service²⁰ and then they would pray,²¹ 10a relates that Rabbi Eliezer would conduct himself in this manner. as [implied by Psalms 17:15]: "I will see Your countenance in righteousness."²², "righteousness," and tzedakah, "charity," share the same root.

footnotes: ¹⁹ Giving to a charity box is also sufficient to fulfill this purpose. ²⁰ According to Kabbalah, charity should not be given before the evening service unless a poor person actually asks for a donation. ²¹ Bava Batra ²² Tzedek

A person who gives money to his sons and daughters who are past the age of majority²³ 12:14), for in the Talmudic period, children were able to fend for themselves from that age onward and the parents were no longer obligated to support them. (Today, there are many authorities who require parents to support their children until much more advanced ages.) Ketubot 50a applies the verse (Psalms 106:3 : "Happy is he... who performs charity at all times" to a person who supports children of this age. and whom he is not obligated to support in order to teach the males Torah and to direct the females in a course of upright path so that they will not become objects of derision and similarly one who gives food to his father and his mother²⁴ 6:3). The Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 251:3) qualifies that this proviso applies only when the parents are in need. is included among [those who give] charity.²⁵) for this purpose. Indeed, it is a very important charity, for precedence is established on one's degree of closeness.²⁶ Anyone who gives food and drink to the poor and orphans at his table,²⁷he will call out to God and [God] will answer him and he will derive pleasure from Him, as [Isaiah 58:9] states: "Then you will call out and God will answer."²⁸

footnotes: ²³ Strictly speaking, this refers to children above the age of six (Hilchot Ishut ²⁴ The mitzvah of honoring one's parents does not require a person to tap his own resources to support them. Instead, he must feed them and clothe them from their resources (Hilchot Mamrim ²⁵ Hence a person may use money that he tithes (ma'aser ²⁶ See Chapter 7, Halachah 13, above. ²⁷ I.e., not only does he provide them with food, he makes them feel part of his household. ²⁸ The passage from Isaiah concludes: "Then you will delight in God."

Our Sages commanded²⁹ 1:5. In his Commentary to the Mishnah, the Rambam mentions the concepts stated here. that the poor and orphans should be members of a person's household rather than servants.³⁰ (Yoreh De'ah 251) states that this is considered as giving charity. This is preferable for him to employ these people and thus enable the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to benefit from his possessions rather than the descendants of Cham. Whoever increases [the number of] servants in his possession adds sin and transgression to the world every day.³¹ 2:7 states: "One who increases servants increases theft; one who increases maidservants increases lewdness." [Conversely,] if the poor are members of one's household, at every hour he adds merits and mitzvot.

footnotes: ²⁹ Avot ³⁰ The Tur ³¹ In that vein, Avot

A person should always construct himself and bear hardship rather than appeal to people at large and make himself a burden on the community. Our Sages commanded, saying:³² 112a. "Make your Sabbaths as weekdays,³³ 30:7. and do not appeal to people at large." Even a distinguished sage who becomes poor should involve himself in a profession - even a degrading one - rather than appeal to people at large. It is preferable for a person to skin the hide of animal carcasses,³⁴ rather than tell people: "I am a great sage..." or "I am a priest, grant me sustenance." Our Sages commanded conducting oneself in such a manner.³⁵ 3:10): Anyone who comes to the conclusion that he should involve himself in Torah study without doing work and derive his livelihood from charity, desecrates [God's] name, dishonors the Torah, extinguishes the light of faith, brings evil upon himself, and forfeits the life of the world to come, for it is forbidden to derive benefit from the words of Torah in this world. Our Sages declared: 'Whoever benefits from the words of Torah forfeits his life in the world.' Also, they commanded and declared: 'Do not make them a crown to magnify oneself, nor an axe to chop with.' Also, they commanded: "Love work and despise Rabbinic positions" and "All Torah that is not accompanied by work will eventually be nullified and will lead to sin." Ultimately, such a person will steal from others. See also Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:7 and the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Avot 4:7). There were great sages who were woodchoppers,³⁶), the Rambam mentions that Hillel earned his livelihood in this manner. It must be noted that although Yoma 35b describes Hillel as having earned a meager livelihood through physical work, neither it, nor any other known source, explicitly states that Hillel would chop wood. porters of beams,³⁷ 67b states that Rav Sheshet would haul beams. See the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (loc. cit.), where he elaborates on the labor performed by the sages. He apparently had a slightly different version of the Talmud, for he refers to different sages than those mentioned in the standard published text. water-carriers for gardens,³⁸ 105a mentions that Rav Huna was a water-carrier. and iron-smelters and makers of charcoal,³⁹ 28b states that Rabbi Yehoshua would work in this capacity. but they did not ask anything from the community, nor did they accept gifts that were given to them.

footnotes: ³² Pesachim ³³ I.e., restrict your spending even in areas in which the Torah advises that men of means should be lavish. See Hilchot Shabbat ³⁴ An unpleasant and demeaning task. ³⁵ In general, the Rambam appreciated the positive dimension of earning one's livelihood through one's own efforts and not relying on others. In particular, he felt that this was important for Torah scholars, because a) it is forbidden to derive material benefit from Torah study, and b) by doing so, he disgraces the Torah in the eyes of people at large. Thus he writes (Hilchot Talmud Torah ³⁶ In his Commentary to the Mishnah (loc. cit. ³⁷ Gittin ³⁸ Ketubot ³⁹ Berachot

Any person who does not need to take [charity] and deceives the people and takes will not reach old age and die until he requires assistance from people at large. He is among those of whom it is said [Jeremiah 17:5]: "Cursed be a person who trusts in mortals." [Conversely,] anyone who needs to take [charity] and cannot exist unless he takes, e.g., an elderly man, sick, or beset by afflictions, but is proud and does not take is considered as a murderer. He is liable for his soul and all that he has earned through his hardship⁴⁰ is sin and guilt.⁴¹ But anyone who needs to take [charity], but causes himself affliction and temporarily constrains himself and lives a life of difficulty so that he will not overburden the community will not reach old age and die before he provides sustenance for others from his own means. Concerning such a person and those like him, it is stated [ibid.:7]: Blessed be a person who trusts in God."

footnotes: ⁴⁰ I.e., the hardship he endured by not accepting charity. ⁴¹ For he should have accepted the charity so that he could live his life in an ordinary manner. If it is a person's lot to receive his livelihood from charity, he should not show false pride and refrain from doing so.