DEUTRONOMY XI:26-XVI:17

ASSISTANCE TO THE NEEDY

One of the greatest scourges of our day is poverty. The United Nations had designated in the past a period of 20 years to alleviate the terrible consequences of social injustice and soon, in the middle of the established period, an international meeting would be held to evaluate the progress of this “war on poverty”. Our chapters refer to the obligation to assist the poor, the needy.

How is the poor defined? According to the interpretation of  the Talmud and the Midrash, poverty is relative, it is a function of a previous well-being. It is clear that when the majority has a roof over their head, those who do not have one can be described as poor. But the person who previously owned a horse and, for various reasons, lost this horse, also falls under the rubric of poverty, while the individual who never had a horse is not necessarily considered poor.

Every third year of the Shmitah period, which consisted of 7 years, there was a duty of tithing for the poor. The corners of the fields were also reserved for the poor to participate in the harvest. What were the characteristics of the poor? Those who did not have enough resources to satisfy hunger or to buy the essential clothes for their family. This definition must be adapted to the circumstances, in accordance with the changes that occur in society. 

Those who cannot access health care and education must be classified as “poor” today. Because of human weaknesses, there are those who wish to take advantage of the generosity of others, especially organizations that provide aid to those in need. It is worth considering whether the degree of poverty of the applicant can be investigated.

According to Rambam, when the person extends his hand because he is hungry, the honesty of the applicant should not be investigated. It is imperative to respond immediately to this request. On the other hand, when the apparent homeless person requests clothing, it can be found out if the request really deserves an affirmative answer. The different response to these calls for help is because the hungry person may starve, while clothing, with the exception of severe cold, may qualify as a comfort, not a vital emergency.

While still a child, the future Rebbe of Kotzk asked his teacher if our ancestors performed all the Mitsvot in the desert and, if so, how they fulfilled their obligation to assist the needy when Man (manna) from heaven fell daily and no one went hungry. The Rebbe’s incisive question  during his childhood points to the fact that helping the poor also serves to sensitize the giver, because the practice of Tsedakah gives a deeper and more human meaning to existence. 

To avoid abuse, the Chachamim warned that anyone who falsely tried to take advantage of the generosity of others would not end his earthly days without falling into disgrace and without truly requiring the help of others. Jewish communities have traditionally and historically been characterized by their attention to the needs of the poor and the widow, the orphan and the young woman who required the indispensable necessities for marriage. In this way, the biblical instruction of the weekly text acquired a validity that continues to this day.

MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 17  POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 38 PROHIBITIONS

436. ​Deuteronomy 12:2 Destroy the places of idolatrous service

437. ​Deuteronomy 12:4 Do not erase sacred writings, the Name of God, or destroy places of devotion that bear His Name

438. ​Deuteronomy 12:5-6 Bring all the offerings and freewill offerings promised at the first pilgrimage festival that takes place after the promise is made

439. ​Deuteronomy 12:13 Do not sacrifice outside the Temple

440. ​Deuteronomy 12:13 Sacrifice all offerings in the Temple and nowhere outside it

441. ​Deuteronomy 12:15 Redeem consecrated animals for offerings that have acquired blemishes

442. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Do not eat the second tithe of grain outside Jerusalem

443. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Do not consume the second tithe of wine outside Jerusalem

444. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Do not consume the second tithe of oil outside Jerusalem

445. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Not to consume a firstborn unblemished animal outside of Jerusalem

446. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Do not eat the flesh of a sin offering or guilt offering outside the Temple

447. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Do not eat the flesh of a burnt offering

448. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Not to eat the flesh of an offering of lesser holiness before its blood is sprinkled on the altar

449. ​Deuteronomy 12:17 Kohanim should not eat the first fruits before they are placed in the Temple Courtyard

450. ​Deuteronomy 12:19 Do not fail to give to the Leviyim their corresponding gifts, especially at the time of the holiday

451. ​Deuteronomy 12:21 Ritually slaughter the animal before eating its flesh

452. ​Deuteronomy 12:23 Do not eat a limb of a live animal

453. ​Deuteronomy 12:26 Bringing the offering of an animal to be offered in the Temple, even from the diaspora

454. ​Deuteronomy 13:1 Do not add to the Mitsvot of the Torah

455. ​Deuteronomy 13:1 Do not subtract from any of the Mitsvot of the Torah

456. ​Deuteronomy 13:4 Do not listen to anyone who prophesies in the name of an idol

457. ​Deuteronomy 13:9 Have no affection for him who incites idolatrous worship

458. ​Deuteronomy 13:9 Do not diminish our hatred for him who incites idolatrous worship

459. ​Deuteronomy 13:10 Do not rescue from death those who incite idolatrous worship

460. ​Deuteronomy 13:9 Whoever has been wrongly influenced should not speak for him who incites idolatrous worship

461. ​Deuteronomy 13:9 Whoever has been wrongly influenced should not fail to criticize those who incite idolatrous worship

462. ​Deuteronomy 13:12 Do not incite a Jew to idolatrous worship

463. ​Deuteronomy 13:15 Thoroughly examine witnesses

464. ​Deuteronomy 13:17 Burn the city that has gone astray and worship idols, together with all that it contains

465. ​Deuteronomy 13:17 Do not rebuild to its former condition the city that has gone astray and worshipped idols

466. ​Deuteronomy 13:17 Derive no profit from the wealth of the city that hath gone astray and worshipped idols

467. ​Deuteronomy 14:1 Do not cut yourself as those who worship idols 

468. ​Deuteronomy 14:1 Do not uproot the hair of the head because of sorrow caused by the death of a human

469. ​Deuteronomy 14:3 Do not eat the offerings of sacred animals that were disqualified

470. ​Deuteronomy 14:11 Examine the signs of the bird to see if it is Kosher

471. ​Deuteronomy 14:19 Do not eat locusts that are not Kosher or insects with wings

472. ​Deuteronomy 14:21 Do not eat the flesh of any domestic animal or wild animal that died on its own

473. ​Deuteronomy 14:22 The Second Tithe

474. ​Deuteronomy 14:28 Tithing for the poor in the third year Instead of the Second Tithe

475. ​Deuteronomy 15:2 Not to demand payment for a debt on which the Sabbath year has passed

476. ​Deuteronomy 15:3 Collect the full payment of a loan from a non-Jew

477. ​Deuteronomy 15:3 Forgive Debts on the Sabbath Year

478. ​Deuteronomy 15:7 Do not stop supporting a poor man and give him what he needs

479. ​Deuteronomy 15:8 Giving charity

480. ​Deuteronomy 15:9 Do not stop lending to the poor because the Sabbath Year will cancel the debt

481. ​Deuteronomy 15:13 Do not allow the Hebrew slave to go free empty-handed

482. ​Deuteronomy 15:13 Give as a gift of indemnity to the Hebrew slave when he is freed

483. ​Deuteronomy 15:19 Do not make the animal that has been consecrated as an offering work

484. ​Deuteronomy 15:19 Do not shave the animal that has been consecrated as an offering

485. ​Deuteronomy 16:3 Do not eat Chamets after noon on the day before Passover

486. ​Deuteronomy 16:4 Leave no meat of the feast offering, sacrificed on the 14th of Nisan until the third day

487. ​Deuteronomy 16:5 Do not offer the sacrifice of Passover on a private altar

488. ​Deuteronomy 16:14 Rejoicing in the Feasts of Pilgrimage

489. ​Deuteronomy 16:16 To appear in the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, on the Pilgrimage Festivities

490. ​Deuteronomy 16:16 Do not go up to Jerusalem and present yourself in the Beit HaMikdash for a Pilgrimage Festival without an animal offering