Sukkah, Daf Mem Tet, Part 5

 

אמר רבי אלעזר: גדול העושה צדקה יותר מכל הקרבנות, שנאמר +משלי כא+ עשה צדקה ומשפט נבחר לה’ מזבח.

 

R. Elazar stated: Greater is he who performs charity than [he who offers] all the sacrifices, for it is said, "To do charity and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice" (Proverbs 21:3).

 

This statement expresses a common rabbinic idea, probably related to the fact that the Temple no longer stood. Charity is greater than sacrifice. We should note that this does not imply, as it is sometimes taken to, that sacrifice is worthless. The idea is that both have value, but that charity is the greater of the two.

 

ואמר רבי אלעזר: גדולה גמילות חסדים יותר מן הצדקה, שנאמר +הושע י+ זרעו לכם לצדקה וקצרו לפי חסד. אם אדם זורע – ספק אוכל ספק אינו אוכל, אדם קוצר – ודאי אוכל.

 

R. Elazar further stated: Acts of loving kindness (gemilut hasadim) are greater than charity (tzedakah), for it is said, "Sow to yourselves according to your charity (tzedakah), but reap according to your hesed" (Hosea 10: 12); when one sows, it is doubtful whether he will eat [the harvest] or not, but when one reaps, he will certainly eat.

 

R. Elazar now ranks acts of loving kindness, gemilut hasadim, a category which includes all sorts of ways in which one person can help another person, above charity, which is more limited to simply donating money to another person. This is derived from the fact the when it comes to charity the verb is "to sow" whereas when it comes to gemilut hasadim, the verb is "to reap." Reaping guarantees food to eat, sowing does not.

 

ואמר רבי אלעזר: אין צדקה משתלמת אלא לפי חסד שבה, שנאמר זרעו לכם לצדקה וקצרו לפי חסד.

 

R. Elazar further stated: The reward of charity depends entirely upon the extent of the kindness in it, for it is said, "Sow to yourselves according to charity, but reap according to the kindness."

 

In this statement R. Elazar combines the two, charity and acts of loving kindness. The reward one gets for charity depends on the level of kindness with which one performs it. Charity performed with love may not be better for the receiver than charity performed without love, but it is certainly better for the giver.

תנו רבנן: בשלשה דברים גדולה גמילות חסדים יותר מן הצדקה, צדקה – בממונו, גמילות חסדים – בין בגופו בין בממונו. צדקה – לעניים, גמילות חסדים – בין לעניים בין לעשירים. צדקה – לחיים, גמילות חסדים – בין לחיים בין למתים.

 

Our rabbis taught: In three respects gemilut hasadim is superior to charity: charity can be done only with one’s money, but gemilut hasadim can be done with one’s person and one’s money. Charity can be given only to the poor, but gemilut hasadim both to the rich and the poor. Charity can be given to the living only, G gemilut hasadim can be done both to the living and to the dead.

 

Again, gemilut hasadim is preferred over charity. Charity, giving of money, is performed only with one’s bank account, it can only be given to the poor (one can give money to the rich, but they don’t need it). And charity can only be given to the living, whereas one can perform an act of loving kindness by helping bury the dead.

 

ואמר רבי אלעזר: כל העושה צדקה ומשפט – כאילו מילא כל העולם כולו חסד, שנאמר +תהלים לג+ אוהב צדקה ומשפט חסד ה’ מלאה הארץ. שמא תאמר כל הבא לקפוץ קופץ – תלמוד לומר +תהלים לו+ מה יקר חסדך אלהים (חסד ה’ מלאה הארץ) וגו’, יכול אף ירא שמים כן – תלמוד לומר +תהלים קג+ וחסד ה’ מעולם ועד עולם על יראיו.

 

R. Elazar further stated: He who performs acts of charity and justice is regarded as though he had filled all the world with kindness, for it is said, "He who loves charity and justice, he has filled the earth with the loving kindness of God" (Psalms 33:5).

But lest you say that whoever wishes to do good succeeds without difficulty, Scripture says, "How precious is Your loving kindness, O God" (Psalms 36:8).

One might say that this applies also one who fears God, Scripture says, "But the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting time to everlasting time on those that fear Him" (Psalms 103:17).

 

A few more statements by R. Elazar concerning charity and acts of loving kindness. R. Elazar admits that it’s not easy, it is precious, difficult. Nevertheless, for someone who fears the Lord, it is not so difficult. It seems that God makes things easier for those who fear him.