| Dvar Torah for Parshat Reah
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Based on Likutey Moharan, II #4 Considering the paramount position of tzedakah (charity) in Jewish life, the Torah's placing of this mitzvah in Parshat Reah carries an especially strong implication for us. This implication is further underscored when we recall that there is nothing random, neither in the Torah nor in life. Thus, the proximity of Parshat Reah to the month of repentance, the month of Elul, and to the forthcoming Days of Awe and Sukkot carries a deeper meaning beyond the simple mitzvah "give charity!" Everybody understands that when a poor person receives charity he is happy. He had had the misfortune to be in need and naturally feels uplifted when he at last receives assistance. But, what about the benefactor? He's the one who took some of his hard earned money and parted with it! True, someone who is extremely wealthy might not feel the pinch, but the average person, who struggles to make ends meet, does? Nor does the average person have the satisfaction of seeing that his donation "made the difference" or "saved the day." What benefits does the benefactor gain that makes the mitzvah of charity is so exalted, so powerful, that it is termed the redeeming factor of the Jewish Nation? "Zion will be redeemed with righteousness and its returnees with charity" (Isaiah 1:27). The verse from which we learn the mitzvah of charity is, "Potei'ach tiftach et yadkha... (Surely you should open your hand wide) to give the needy..."(Deuteronomy 15:8). Literally, in Hebrew the verse reads, "Potei'ach tiftach - open, you should open." Why is the word "open" repeated? Rebbe Nachman quotes our Sages who teach that "every beginning is difficult" (Mekhilta Yitro). Whether the undertaking is spiritual or material, one faces adversity in any beginning - a new job, a new level of Jewish commitment, a new relationship, a new school year. It is like facing a closed door. One must work hard just to get "a foot in the door." However, once the "door opens a little," s/he faces less and less adversity, until gradually the undertaking can be dealt with easily.. The difficulties of "newness" may be compared to a woman in labor. In order to give birth, she must endure severe pain. "How many cries, how many krechtz (moans and groans), how many screams must she bear, until her child is born?" asks Rebbe Nachman. The same is true of anything new a person attempts. Much crying and groaning, many difficulties and obstacles face a person in a new undertaking. The key to overcoming the difficulties is to "open the door." Once it has begun to open, one can start tasting the goals of the undertaking. How does one "open the door?" With charity, says the Rebbe. "Open, you should open...." Another reason for the apparent redundancy is to encourage us, because the giving of charity entails overcoming a number of mental blocks: I worked hard for this money; I have high overhead; I have to make sure I don't become a charity case myself; I've got my own problems. Furthermore, charity requires using judgment. Is the potential recipient legitimate? From the thousands of requests sent out, how can you possibly check the veracity and/or legitimacy of each one? And how much should you give? Nonetheless, one is required to fulfill this very special mitzvah of charity. What to do? Remember: "Open you should open..." Open your hand, open your door. The door to what's new in your life: the job, the Jewish commitment, the relationship. Use this to break your miserliness and give with an open hand. Use this to exercise the judgment necessary to choose. Use this to bolster your faith that God provides so that if finances are ever tight and giving seems impossible, you'll remember "God provides." Remember, that if you open the door for the poor man and receive him graciously, "doors" will be opened for you and you, too, will be received graciously. This is part of the awesome power of tzedakah. This lesson of tzedakah is particularly applicable in the month of Elul. A year is ending, a Day of Judgment soon coming. Repentance is called for. How do I open its door? How do I find the door?! What can I do to ensure that I will be welcomed and allowed to stay? How do I open the door to the new year, to the Judgment of Rosh Hashanah? How can I get off to a good start? Show compassion when you open your door and must "pass judgment" on the poor. Then when you knock on Heaven's door, it will be opened for you. The door to the New Year and Judgment Day will be graciously opened for you ensuring a good start. May Hashem help us to give charity as best as we can, in order to open the Gates of Tshuvah, Compassion and Kindness for Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people), this year and every year. And, in the merit of this mitzvah may we be bestowed with the joy of Sukkot, now and forever, with the coming of Mashiach, the full Redemption and the building of the Holy Temple, speedily, in our times. Amen! agutn Shabbos!
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