More Blessed to Give
Rebbe Nachman on Charity
Matot-Masei
Fighting
Anger
This week’s pasha
speaks about charity. When the Jews
waged a successful war against the Midianites
they took tithes from the captured booty
(Numbers
31). As the Ramban explains, the battle
was waged for God, because the Midianites
had caused the Jews to sin (see Numbers
25). Therefore, some of the booty taken
had to be consecrated to God’s
Name. A lesson we can learn from this
is that when one errs or sins, he has
taken something for himself that was
not really his. This can be rectified
by giving of himself, giving something
that does belong to him, to charity,
for God’s sake.
Before we return to
our order in the essays — we were
in the middle of discussing charity
and judgment, individual vs. organizational
charities — we’d like to
share an amazing insight into charity
that Rebbe Nachman teaches (Likutey
Moharan I, 83):
“A
gift given secretly suppresses anger”
(Proverbs
21:14).
Know! The
Hebrew alphabet contains the letter
pai six times. That is, when we articulate
the letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet,
we will find the letter pai as part
of the following letters: alePh,
kaPh,
final kaPh,
pai, final pai and quPh.
For it is impossible to articulate
these letters without pronouncing
the letter pai.
The letter
Pai has a numerical value of 80. Six
times pai (6x80) equals 480. There
is a kelipah
(evil force) called LYLYT;
that numerical value is also 480.
[lamed
= 30 (2x30); yod
= 10 (2x10); tav=400.]
This kelipah
is known as the “mother of all
demons” and is the main cause
of nocturnal emissions and impurities.
Now this
kelipah
draws its sustenance from the alphabet,
from the six times pai in the Hebrew
aleph-bet. [When a person sins, he
blocks the positive influence of the
letters of holiness and gives strength
to the negative influences.] The pai
is therefore transposed and the pai
is transformed into aph
(anger). For sin arouses anger and
allow the forces of evil to take control.
Thus, the six letters of pai
found in the alphabet become empowered
to harm the person. When one adds
the numerical value of these six letters,
aleph, kaph,
final kaph,
pai, final pai
and quph
[1+20+20+80+80+100], the sum is 301.
This is the same [numerical value]
as aish
(fire; aleph,
shin, 1+300). The forces of
evil are empowered to “burn”
the person, by venting their anger
and causing all types of suffering,
may God spare us.
However,
when one gives charity, especially
in private where others do not know
about it, he can suppress that anger
and the forces of evil. He transposes
the APh to Pai. This is as King Solomon
writes in Proverbs: Matan
b’seter yikhpeh Aph—
“A gift given secretly [i.e.,
charity] suppresses aph
(anger).” [The word yikhpeh
(to suppress) can also be translated
as transpose.]
Thus, giving charity,
especially that given confidentially,
has awesome power. It can transform
Divine anger, it can take control of
the forces of evil. The opposite can
take effect: charity can bring blessing
and spread good and holiness!
God willing, we will
continue next week where we left off
previously, and discuss the importance
of giving charity to individuals and
to organizations. Much as charity is
a private matter and everyone is entitled
— even encouraged — to give
to where they feel closer, we will try
to give a general picture of priorities
as explained in Talmud and Shulchan
Arukh (the Codes).
Meanwhile, during these
weeks preceding Tisha b’Av, when
we recall the destruction of the Temple,
we should also recall that “Zion
will be redeemed with righteousness
and its returnees with charity”
(cf. Isaiah
1:27). If we wish to help free the Land
of Israel of its oppressors and its
dwellers of their suffering, we can
begin with strengthening our charity
gifts. May God bless us all.
Best wishes,
Chaim
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