אגרת הקודש

TWENTY-ONE. Upon enquiring after their welfare, as is becoming to those who love His Name—“May my word drop and my speech trickle as dew”1Par. Job 29:22 and Deuteronomy 32:2. to those who offer themselves willingly among the people2Par. Judges 5:9. to practice the righteousness of the L–rd (tzidkat Hashem) with His Holy Land3Cf. above, Epistles 14 and 17. by giving every year a set sum of monies for our Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and re-established speedily, in our days. (I call upon you) to bestir the alert4Cf. Makkot 23a: Sifrei, Numbers, sect. 1. and to strengthen weak hands, to contribute monies for the Land of Israel every week, or at least every month, of the amount assigned as the year’s apportionment, as well as all the “dedicated money” that one was inspired to donate annually, without a vow,5See Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 203; cf. Likkutei Torah, Matot 82b. for the support of our brethren who live in the Holy Land.

For, note, besides that it is known to all the great virtue of alertness with respect to all commandments—[Thus it is mentioned repeatedly in the sayings of our Sages, of blessed memory: “At all times one should try to be first when it comes to a commandment.”6Nazir 22b; Bava Kama 38b, etc.; see below, note 10. Also, it is the alertness of our father Abraham, peace to him, that stands by us and our children, for everlasting.

For the akedah7The binding of Isaac for sacrificial purposes (Genesis 22). itself is not really regarded as so great a test in relation to the level of our father Abraham, peace to him, especially as G–d said to him “Please take your son….”8Genesis 22:2. After all, there are numerous saints who gave their lives for the sanctification of the L–rd, even though that G–d did not speak to them. However, our father Abraham, peace to him, did this with a wondrous alertness9See Genesis 22:3 and Midrashim, ad loc. to show his joy and desire to fulfill the will of his Master and to cause gratification to his Maker.

And from him our Sages, of blessed memory, derived (the requirement of alertness) with respect to the keeping of all the commandments in general;10Pesachim 4a; Rosh Hashanah 32b; etc. and in particular with respect to the act of charity, which is superior to them all, protecting and saving by its “fruits” in this world11Cf. Peah 1:1; see above, beg. of Epistle 17. from all kinds of calamities that may come about, as it is written: “And tzedakah saves from death,”12Proverbs 10:2; see Rosh Hashanah 16b and Zohar I:104a. thus, a fortiori, from other kinds of suffering that are lighter than death. It is, thus, certainly to our benefit, even in this world, to be as zealous with it as possible, for, after all, “Man is judged every day.”13Rosh Hashanah 16a.]

Indeed, we also found and noted in the service of charity a particularly great and wondrous advantage, without parallel: the act of charity is performed in numerous times, and whoever performs it frequently is praiseworthy. This is in contrast to performing it in one time and all at once, even when the total sum is the same, as R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, wrote in (his) Commentary on the Mishnah taught by the Sages, of blessed memory: “And everything according to the quantity of the act.”14Avot 3:15; see The Art of Giving (Kehot 2014), pp. 24-26 ff.

Now, besides that, R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, explained well this reason and motive [“In order to refine the soul by means of the quantitative action”], there is an explicit verse in Scripture that “The effect of tzedakah is for life.”15See Proverbs 10:16 and 11:19. This means its effect and affection is to elicit supreme life from the Fountainhead of life,16Lit., Life of life; see above, Epistle 17, note 4. the En Sof, blessed is He, to the Land of Life,17See above, Epistle 8, note 46. the Abode (Shechinah) of our strength,18Ibid., note 36. of which it is said19Nehemiah 9:6. “And You animate them all.”20See above, Epistle 14, and note 29, ad loc. It21The Land of Life, the Shechinah. is the hut of David that has fallen22See above, Epistle 9, notes 27 ff. down to the very dust, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory:23Megillah 29a (v.s. of Eyn Yaakov, ad loc.); Mechilta on Exodus 12:41; see below, Epistle 25, note 48.—Cf. Likkutei Amarim, Part I, end of ch. 17. “When they were exiled to Edom, the Shechinah went with them….” (This effect of tzedakah is brought about) because the arousal from below, to revive the spirit of the humbled who has nothing at all of his own,24The “poor who has nothing of his own” corresponds to the Shechinah, the sefirah of malchut—which has “nothing of its own but what is given to it by others” (cf. Zohar I:249b; Etz Chaim 6:5 and 8:5; et passim). See Zohar III:113b. elicits an arousal from above; and especially so when the people offer voluntarily to sustain the inhabitants of the actual Land of Life,25I.e., the terrestrial Land of Life, the Land of Israel; see above, Epistle 8, note 45. and suffice this for the initiated.

Now, whoever is enlightened as to so great and wondrous a matter will find to the best of discernment and knowledge how profound are the words of the Sages, of blessed memory, when they said “Everything according to the quantity of the act.” This refers to the act of charity, which is performed at numerous times to elicit supreme life in order to bring about a supreme unification (yichud) many times.

This is also similar to what R. Moses Maimonides wrote “to refine the soul,” as is known from the sacred Zohar that the Shechinah is called nefesh (soul)26Cf. Zohar Chadash, Rut 84a; 78c; et passim.—because she is our life and our soul. And it is written:27Psalms 44:26. “Our soul is bent low, to the dust.”28Cf. above (note 22), and see Midrash Tehillim 44:2. And that is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Great is charity, for it brings close the redemption”29Bava Batra 10a.—to raise (the Shechinah) from the dust, gradually,30See Jerusalem Talmud, Yoma 3:2. “until Shilo will come.”31Genesis 49:7.