"For Instruction shall come forth from Zion, The word of the L-rd from Jerusalem." -- Isaiah 2:3

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GENESIS — 24:14 her

GEN1171 Now God, Who is great in counsel and mighty in deed, arranged that the marriage of Isaac to Rebecca should result from her approaching a traveller [this verse].   … We can see from this incident, how high a person can reach through performing this mitzvah [i.e., hospitality] properly with a willing heart, like Rebecca, who in many respects did no] more than the servant requested.  AHAVCH 190

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GENESIS — 26:12 sowed

GEN1221 Why did our forefathers earn the right to this world, to the Messianic era, and to the world to come? – because they habituated themselves to giving charity.   …   Isaac was praised for his charity, as it is said [this verse] and sowing indicates charity, as it is said Hosea 10:12: “Sow for yourselves in charity.” (The connection is that just as a man longs to sow his field, even though, at the time, he merely casts his seed on the ground-he is nevertheless confident that it will yield a hundredfold later on – so should one long to give charity, and be just as confident that God will repay many times over for the small loss of capital suffered at present, as it is said Deuteronomy 15:10: “You shall surely give … for on account of this thing God will bless you.”  AHAVCH 155

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GENESIS — 28:22 tithe

GEN1288 You should know too, that the giving of one tenth to charity is the practice for the average person.  Whoever wishes to act generously, however, should set apart one fifth of his possessions.   Chazal have found support for this idea in [this verse]: “And of all that You give me, a tenth – a tenth will I give…” – twice one tenth equaling one fifth.   Here too, I believe, one is first to give a fifth of his net worth and then one fifth of all his subsequent earnings.   In distributing the funds, one should divide them into two: one tenth going to students of the Torah (corresponding to the first tithe given to the Priests and Levites to devote themselves to the study of the Torah, as Scripture has stated), and the second tenth for mitzvah purposes.   So I have learned from the Shittah Mekibetzeth (Kethubot 50a) quoting Harav Hameili.   AHAVCH 165

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