 |  | Parshat Ki Tetzei teaches us that when lending items to the poor, “You shall return the security to him by sunset, so that he may lie down to sleep in his garment, and he will bless you, and it will be counted for you as righteousness before the Lord” (Devarim 24:13). Rav Soloveitchik wonders why the word righteous is used to describe this action. Says the Rav, “Upon initial examination, it would seem that the word tzedakah, righteousness or justice, is an inappropriate term to describe an act of kindness. Chesed is the term that would seem to better fit in this context. Chesed means helping someone undeserving of help. Performing an act of charity is generally understood to mean to act kindly to one’s fellow but we owe nothing to the poor person; the impoverished have no legal claim on our act of charity. Where is the justice in the act of charity? Maimonides (Guide for the Perplexed III:53) explains that charity is indeed an act of justice, an obligation and not a free offering. God wished to ingrain within us the concept that all possessions belong to Him. All He gives us is conditioned on our being charitable. This is what we learn from the Mishnah (Avot 3:7): Rabbi Elazar Ish Bartuta said: Give to Him of His, and of yours to Him. Similarly, King David said (I Chr. 29:14): For all things come from You, and of Your own hand we have given You” (Derashot HaRav pp 18-19).
When we act charitably to others we must know that everything we have belongs to God, and therefore, any act of kindness is commanded of us. When we act kindly, we act justly. And what is more, whatever we think is freely given is really taking from God, and therefore, just as we take from God, whatever we give belongs to Him too.
This Shabbat, may we consider the role we play in helping our fellow Jew. But what’s more, every act of chesed we do is really an act of tzedek. By helping our fellow we truly fulfill the Will of God, and serving Him as those commanded in following in the ways of Abraham, as it says, “keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right” (Bereshit 18:19).
Shabbat Shalom!
- Rabbi Dan
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