Reply To: Short & Sweet

Re’ah: Give Wisely

We are instructed in this weeks Parsha to give to the poor דֵּ֚י מַחְסֹר֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֶחְסַ֖ר לֽוֹ, enough to fill his needs, which he is lacking. But why does the Torah use such repetitive language?

The Ksav Sofer sees this as the source for a well-known principle: the highest form of charity is giving a person the ability to stand up on his own. By helping the poor attain the investments or skills that they need to become self-sufficient, you will have helped them not only with חסרו, their current needs, but also with אשר יחסר לו, what they will need in the future.

לע״נ דוד חיים בו ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום