TorahFax - Wednesday, Kislev 4, 5765 / November 17, 2004

bs"d.

In this week's Parsha, Vayeitzei, Yaakov makes the following
vow, "If G-d will be with me and will protect me in this way 
which I go, He will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear 
and I will return to my father's house in peace, and the L-rd 
will be my G-d... From everything which You will give me, I will 
surely give one tenth to You". 

The Torah ascribes this practice of Tzedakah, contributing 
a tenth to charity, to our forefathers, Abraham, Yitzchak 
and Yaakov.

Tzedakah (charity) is a very important mitzvah and has special 
powers, as we see from the following Talmudic passages:

Rabbi Assi said, "The mitzvah of Tzedakah is compared to all 
other mitzvot put together."

Rabbi Yehuda said, "Great is the power of Tzedakah for it 
hastens the redemption."

In the name of Rabbi Elazar, "Why is charity likened to armor ?  
Just like the coat of armor is made of many small pieces, 
so too, every peruta and peruta (small coin) adds up to a 
great total."

Rabbi Chanina said, "Why is Tzedakah compared to a garment ? 
Just like a garment is made up of many threads so too, 
each coin and coin given to charity adds up to a great amount."

Rabbi Dustai ben Reb Yanai explains the greatness of Tzedakah 
as follows, "When a simple person presents a gift to a great 
king, the gift may or may not be accepted by the king.  
Even if it is accepted, one is still not guaranteed the 
privilege of meeting the king.  But the Holy One blessed
be He acts differently.  One who gives even a peruta 
(small coin) to a poor person automatically acquires great 
merit and enters the presence of G-d.
As is written in Psalms (17:15), "Through Tzedek (from the 
word Tzedakah) I will see Your face!".

Rabbi Yishmael explains the benefit of giving charity rather 
than saving the money as follows: "Whoever trims their 
possessions and gives away to charity will be saved from 
harsh judgment in the after-life."

The Talmud tells the following story about Binyamin the 
Righteous who supervised the charity fund.  One day, 
during a year of scarcity, a woman came to him and said, 
"Master, provide sustenance for me."  Binyamin replied. 
"There is no money left in the charity fund."  
She said, "Master, if you do not provide for me, a woman 
and her seven children will perish."
He provided for her out of his own pocket.

Sometime afterwards he became very ill and he was at the 
point of death. The angels above said to G-d: 
"Master of the Universe, You have said that he who saves 
the life of one soul is considered as if he had saved the
entire world.  Shall Binyamin the righteous, who saved 
the  lives of a woman and her seven children, die at such 
a young age?"

The Talmud concludes that, as a result, twenty two years 
were added to his life!

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

************************

Leilu Nishmas Reb David ben Asher Lemil HaKohen, z"l.

**********************

************************************
Rabbi Zalmen Marozov

Mailing address:

TorahFax
Box 373 Station Snowdon. 
Montreal, Quebec. H3X 3T6 
Canada


PayPal: torahfax@netaxis.qc.ca 


TorahFax Web Page at: www.torahfax.net
Refuah Shleimah page at: www.torahfax.net/refuah.html