From the Virtual Desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE Question: If one works on Shabbos and gives money for tzedakah, is that money tainted by the fact that it was earned on Shabbos? Does that detract from the mitzva of giving tzedakah, as it would if the money were attained by illegal means? Answer: This is a difficult question to answer in that the word “tainted” is a very difficult one to apply in a precise manner. Let us break the discussion into two: halacha and philosophy. Halachically, there is a concept that a mitzva can be nullified by the fact that it is linked directly to the violation of a prohibition. One example: if one steals an etrog and then shakes it on Sukkot, he has not fulfilled his mitzva. However, this rule does not apply here, because the linkage between the sin and the mitzva is not direct enough. (If you like, we can provide a Talmudic discourse to explain the distinction, but this is the general idea). Thus, the tzedakah is not halachically tainted. The mitzva of tzedakah, like other mitzvot (one can argue, more than almost all others), is not just a technical act where the only factor is how much the person gave. Maimonides goes into much detail about 8 different levels of giving tzedakah (he concentrates on levels of avoiding the pauper’s embarrassment). Part of the philosophy behind giving away a portion of one’s earnings relates to the realization that all that we are blessed with (including our earnings) is decreed by G-d (see Beitza 16a). When one earns a portion of the money which he donates in a manner which violates G-d’s commandments (i.e. by violating Shabbos) that element of the intention behind giving the tzedakah is incomplete. If one realizes that it is G-d who controls our successes and failures and, feeling bad about the fact that he has not fully succeeded in fulfilling His will, sees the money as a way of saying “thank you” and “sorry,” respectively, then we have a mixed bag. On the one hand, that’s great, and this mitzva with the proper intention can bring him closer to his Maker and Provider. On the other hand, if he sees it as a reasonable trade-off (“I’ll continue to work on Shabbos, but it is okay because part of my money goes to tzedakah”), then the tzedakah could be considered an “accomplice” to the continued violation. Leaders of Torah institutions have been torn over the issue of relating to situations such as you described. On one hand, just because a donor is lacking in his performance of some mitzvot (and who isn’t to some extent, especially in the religious climate that most Jews live in, surrounded by those who don’t keep much at all?), doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be wholeheartedly encouraged and praised for his good deeds (tzedakah is a great one). Additionally, the connection and spiritual elevation which so often accompany sincere, heart-felt giving to worthy institutions can often bring the person closer to G-d. Some (a small minority) take the opposite approach, claiming that the responsibility to rebuke those who sin precludes our embracing those who are still in the midst of sinning, because it encourages them to continue without correcting their ways. As spiritual disciples of the great Rav Kook (our mentor, Rav Shaul Yisraeli, of blessed memory, was one of his closest students), we believe in embracing all Jews, irrespective of level of religious observance. Certainly, we believe in encouraging the fulfillment of any mitzva and wouldn’t tell someone, “all or nothing.” On the other hand, one shouldn’t mislead a Jew by telling him or inferring that “as long as you give money to institutions or people we believe in, you are fine in G-d’s book.” We don’t have access to G-d’s book of the righteous and the sinners. If we did, I am sure we would find many surprises. We do have access to G-d’s book of instructions for a proper Jewish life- that is the Torah. It is the responsibility of all of us to both fulfill those instructions ourselves and to help others do so. It is not easy to do that perfectly, but we need to try our best. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha sheet published by Eretz Hemdah. You can read this section or the entire Hemdat Yamim at
www.ou.org or www.eretzhemdah.org. If you would like to receive Hemdat Yamim by email, on a weekly basis, please send an email to
lists@eretzhemdah.org with the message: JoinHemdatya - Please leave the subject blank. People in this world are like those walking on ice: The source of all sadness is pride. The proud person thinks he is entitled to everything. REASON The earliest compilation of prayers is Seder of Rav Amram Gaon, prepared at the request of the Spanish-Jewish community of Barcelona. His siddur is based on an earlier work – One hundred Brachot of Rav Natronai Gaon. Morning came first in that work, because the brachot of the morning are more numerous. Just about all subsequent siddurim follow that original order. REASON Our daily prayers correspond to the service in the Beit HaMikdash. In the Temple the day comes first and is followed by the night. For example, some korbanot brought during a given day can be eaten on that day and the following night, with nothing being allowed to be left over until the following morning. The implication is that night follows day in the Beit HaMikdash, and hence in the siddur as well. REASON Our daily prayers were instituted by the Avot. The order of the Avot and their T'fila is Avraham-Shacharit, Yitzchak-Mincha, Yaakov-Maariv - hence that same order in the siddur. REASON (Ed. addition) It is a practical arrangement, especially since many people daven Mincha and Maariv consecutively. It would be awkward to have Maariv in the beginning of the siddur and mincha after Shacharit. Siddurim for Shabbat and Chagim usually begin with Mincha of Erev Shabbat/Chag, then Maariv, and then Shacharit of the next morning. This is an arrangement of convenience and does not make a statement as to the halachic concept of the sequence of day and night. WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein “There is one trait, however, that seems to have no good attached to it — heresy, the denial of HaShem, Heaven forbid. But even heresy can be used in the service of HaShem, and in fact, is sometimes essential. For example, if someone asks me for tzedaka, I am not entitled to trust in HaShem to supply the man with his needs. I am required to be ‘heretical’ enough to give him tzedaka. HaShem created this trait so that no person should feel so great a sense of faith in Him as to feel no obligation to help those in distress. In this regard, every person has to have a touch of ‘heresy’.” Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder From this strange incident the Talmud deduces the enigmatic principle that, “the righteous love their money more than themselves.” This means that even the most trivial of acquisitions, if earned through honest means, has spiritual value. Thus, for Ya’akov, his small jar is a bearer of holiness; his earthenware jugs are as precious as jewels. In a similar vein, the search for objectivity, impartiality and fairness is also typically characteristic of Ya’akov, as we discern from his reckoning with Lavan. Ya’akov’s mission is to achieve spiritual heights through his own achievements, with minimal dependence on Hashem’s benevolence. For is it not Ya’akov who exclaims: ‘Let the G-d of Mercy (Hashem) manifest Himself to me in the guise of the G-d of Justice (Elokim)’? So when a lonely Ya’akov faces destiny with a little jar in his hand, he is really teaching us to face up to an entire impetuous world. He is singularly teaching us to stand up for those slippery and lofty standards of truth and integrity. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center [The Vayishlach Homepage]
|
