EXOD704 Charity is not only a gift of touched sympathy; it is also a duty. It behooves the fortunate to rescue the unfortunate from their plight; for what they possess was given to them for this purpose. "The poor are God's people", says the Tanhuma; "does it not say 'If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee?' [this verse]. Do not forget that 'There is a wheel which rotates in this world', and that the turn of the wheel which made you rich one day may make you poor another."