תורה 225

3. To achieve human status one has to give charity, in the aspect of “naASeh (let us make) man” (Genesis 1:26) ; and it is written, “The name of the man with whom ASiti (I worked) today…” (Ruth 2:19). Just as [the subject] there is charity, here too it is charity, as is written in the Zohar (Introduction, 13b). In other words, it is by means of charity that one achieves the aspect of man, which is the aspect of speech, as explained above.

This is “with your mouth” (Deuteronomy 23:24)—this is charity (Rosh HaShanah 6a). For it is through charity that the mouth—i.e., speech, the aspect of human status, in the aspect of “Who gives man a mouth?”—is made. And charity, for the most part, comes about through trust, in the aspect of “Trust in God and do good” (Psalms 37:3). For if a person has no trust, he cannot give charity properly, because he will be afraid that he will be lacking that which he gives to charity. Thus, for the most part, charity comes from trust—that a person trusts in God that he will not lose out or lack in any way because of the charity. For ‘God will bless him on account of this…’ (see Deuteronomy 15:10). Thus it is that with trust, which is a product of the intellect, people give charity, which produces speech, as explained above.