Celebrating Giving
Charity is both objective and subjective. It is objective because its main goal is to help the needy regardless of the donor’s attitude. It is subjective because it changes the donor as well. The degree to which giving affects the donor is commensurate with the degree of joy one invests in giving.
Sandwiched!
One of the features of this week’s Parsha is the Torah’s overview of all the Jewish festivals and the sacrifices that had to be offered during each of them. These festivals are discussed in chronological order, beginning with Passover and continuing with Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos.
Rashi, the principal commentator of the Torah, observes that sandwiched in between the Festival of Shavuos and Rosh Hashanah, the Torah discusses the commandment to give the gleanings from one’s agricultural yield to the poor. Rashi questions the reason for inserting the laws of gifts to the poor in the middle of the discussion of the Festivals.
Rashi’s answer, based on the Midrash, is that by incorporating the commandment to give of one’s produce within the context of offering sacrifices during the festivals, the Torah thereby enlightens us as to the greatness of giving one’s gleanings to the poor. In Rashi’s own words:
Whoever gives the gleanings to the poor — in the proper manner — the Torah regards it as if he built the Holy Temple and offered sacrifices therein.
Giving in a Proper Manner
A cursory examination of Rashi makes us wonder as to what he means. What does Rashi mean when he speaks of giving the gleanings “in a proper manner?” Where does the Torah, in this section, speak of giving the gleanings properly? All the Torah says is that when a person reaps his harvest he should not keep all of it for himself, but he should give it to the poor. No mention is made of the manner in which it should be given.
One might suggest that Rashi deduced this from the inclusion of the laws concerning the giving of these gifts to the poor in the context of the laws concerning the celebratory Holidays. By virtue of this juxtaposition, the Torah has described the proper context of giving: giving as a result of the experience of joy that characterizes the Festivals. Every time we give to the poor, we are engaging in a festival exercise. This means simply that the proper manner for giving to the poor is that it be given in the joyous spirit of a Holiday.
However, this begs a follow up question. Are there no other forms of giving to the poor? Aren’t all forms of tzedakah equal? Why then does the Torah single out agricultural tzedakah for special recognition and that it must be done properly? And why is it the equivalent of building the Temple?
Agricultural Tzedakah
One explanation is that agricultural tzedakah, by definition, demands that one gives away that for which one has expended great effort. Tzedakah, in general, can and should be given even from earnings that one did not have to work for; one should give tzedakah even from a windfall. But, almost always, one expends a tremendous amount of energy in producing food. Even so, one must not withhold these gleanings from the poor, and give them properly, with “Holiday cheer” and joy.
Thus Rashi draws the parallel between giving one’s gleanings to the poor and the building of the Holy Temple. Just as building the Temple required much effort; similarly, one must be prepared to give of one’s possessions even when one had to toil to acquire them.
From a psychological perspective, it is much easier to share that for which one did not have to struggle, than to part with the result of one’s blood, sweat and tears.
Moshiach the Poor Man
One of the appellations ascribed by the Torah and the Talmud to Moshiach, is that he is a poor man.
Many explanations have been given as to why he is so described. One interpretation is that Moshiach, as great as he is, will not usher in the Redemption without our contribution to his efforts. Moshiach’s ability to change the world derives from all of our collective contributions.
Moshiach, as any king cannot assume his position of leadership without the and succinctly expressed in the saying, “there is no king without a nation.” Unlike a dictator who rules by force, a true monarch according to Torah must have the consent and enthusiasm of his people for his leadership to be complete.
Thus we find the Biblical cry, “Long live the ling” mentioned with regard to the Davidic dynasty in particular.
The Rebbe (Sefer Hasichos, 5748) took this notion of the king’s dependency on his nation a step further with regard to Moshiach. Since, according to the Ba’al Shem Tov, every Jew possesses a spark of Moshiach only we can collectively empower the ultimate Messianic leader by igniting the spark of Moshiach within us.
From the emphasis on giving produce to the poor, notwithstanding the tremendous toil that is involved in its production, we derive the lesson that our contribution to the coming of Moshiach must be a pro-active and energetic one.
Moreover, just as the giving of these gleanings to the poor must be punctuated with the joy associated with the Festivals, similarly, even as we are in exile, our efforts to bring Moshiach, must be permeated with joy and enthusiasm.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Emor by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
