DEUT771 From "the seventh year," do I not know that it is the year of shemitah? Why, then, need this be written? To teach that there is another "shemitah" [release] similar to this. And which is that? One who lends his neighbor without specifying a date for repayment, in which instance he is not permitted to claim it in less than thirty days, the master having ruled: thirty days in a year is considered "a year" (Makkoth 3b)

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DEUT772 R. Elazar said: Let us express our indebtedness to the deceivers, for if not for them [i.e., if not for the possibility of feigned poverty providing us with an excuse not to give], we would be sinning every day, it being written: "And he call against you to the Lord, there shall be in you a sin (Ketuvoth 68a)

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DEUT773 If one avert his eyes from charity, it is as if he serves idols (Kesubos 68a), and he is called "wanton," "wicked," "cruel," and "sinful." "Wanton," as it is written [this verse]. "Cruel," as it is written (Mishlei 12:10): "And the mercies of the wicked are cruel." And he thereby denies his ancestry, seeming not of the seed of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, who are all merciful, but rather of that of the nations, who are cruel, (Yirmeyahu 50:42): "They are cruel and have no pity." And all who show mercy are granted mercy by Heaven, as it is written (Devarim 13:18): "And He will give you mercy and have mercy upon you and multiply you" (Shabbos 151b).

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DEUT774 And elsewhere it is written (13:14): "There have gone out men of wickedness." Just as there, [the "wickedness" is] idolatry; here, too, it is idolatry -- whence R. Yohoshuya b. Karchah derived: Averting one's eyes from charity is tantamount to serving idols (Ketuvoth 68a)

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DEUT776 For the merit of charity, blessing enters man's home as it is said [this verse]. Therefore every person should strive constantly to perform this mitzvah and thereby cause a blessing to enter his home. This blessing is in addition to the everlasting reward that is stored away for him.

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DEUT779 See [[GEN1225]] Genesis 26:12 sowed AHAVCH 155

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DEUT775 Far from reducing social life to a series of accidental happenings and to policies of expediency, Judaism raises the whole gamut of human conduct to God and to those moral values whereby alone we can best serve Him. In describing man as a free moral agent Judaism parts company with Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, as well as with Christianity, who regarded wealth as immoral, even considering poverty as a virtue. The logic of Judaism refuses to share the belief that the desire for possessions is in itself immoral, especially if the desire be under control, and the possessions used for worthy purposes. Wealth entails duties which give it divine sanction. The protection of the weak by the strong ennobles the character of the protector. Charity is regarded not as a concession on the part of the rich, but as the practice of what is only fit and proper. The Hebrew term for charity -- Tsedakah -- literally means the right of the poor to share in the good things which God has bestowed on the more fortunate. "Thou shall surely give him ... because that for this thing the Lord thy God will bless thee..." [this verse].

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DEUT778 See [[DEUT210]] Deuteronomy 6:5 love SPERO 96

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DEUT780 The Torah Was Aware Of Morality As Such. Another indication that the Pentateuch was aware of the special nature of a certain class of moral rules is to be found in the fact that a promise of blessing is held out for the observance of some of these commandments. For example, in connection with lending money without interest, we find the promise, "that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that Thou puttest thy hand into." In "sending forth the dam," "… that it may be well with thee and thou mayest prolong thy days." In restoring a poor man's pledge, "… and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God." In setting free the Hebrew slave with gifts, "… and the Lord thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest." In lending money to the poor prior to the Sabbatical year, "… thou shalt surely give him and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him, because for this the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy works." (Deuteronomy 23:21, 22:7, 24:13, 15:18, this verse). It has been noted by Nachmanides that the promise of God's blessing after individual laws is to be found only in connection with those commandments that reflect "love and righteousness (chesed u'tzedakah) but not for observing commandments such as "Thou shall not steal" or "Thou shall not deceive," which are required by the attribute of justice (See his commentary on Deuteronomy 23:20. ... he also interprets the talmudic passage in Chullin 110b ... as reflecting this principle. Since these commandments for which reward is promised involve moral concerns beyond legal rights, human courts are not to enforce them through compulsory means). The Pentateuch's usage, which consistently restricts such a locution to commandments reflecting a positive love for one's neighbor, would appear to constitute evidence of an awareness of their special character.

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DEUT777 Perhaps because many people give less generously to charity then they should because they are afraid of diminishing their assets, the Shulchan Arukh reassures would-be donors that, "No person will become poor because of giving charity" (Yoreh Deah 247:2; see also Maimonides "Gifts to the Poor" 10:2). In addition, the Torah promises that, in return for giving to the poor, "the Lord your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings" [this verse]. [The biblical and rabbinic belief that charitable giving is the right thing to do and will also be rewarded may be behind the rabbinic advice to give charity even during difficult times: "If a man sees that his livelihood is barely sufficient for him, he should still give tzedaka from it. How much more so when his livelihood is good" (Gittin 7a)]. The Talmud makes the even more explicit promise that you should "tithe so that you will become rich" (Ta'anit 9a). Rabbi Tzvi Spitz asked the legal scholar Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv why, in light of such an explicit biblical and talmudic assurances, there are many extremely charitable people who have not been blessed with material success. Rabbi Elyashiv responded: "There are many different types of wealth other than financial prosperity. Some people are rewarded with a great deal of pleasure from their children. Others experience an abundance of energy and robust health. All these may be considered as a reward for having been highly charitable." (Feuer, Tzedakah Treasury, 164.

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