Poor and Rich
Alms for the Poor
BeHukotai [In My Statutes]
20) …Woe unto people who do not know and do not consider the glory of their Master, for who makes the Holy Name every day? One who gives righteousness to the poor.
21) The poor is gripped in Din and all his feeding is in Din, in a place called “justices,” which is Malchut, as it is written, “A prayer for the poor when he is weakened.” This prayer is the Tefillin of the hand, Malchut. When she is not in a Zivug with ZA, she is poor and she is called “justice,” and one who gives Tzedaka [alms, but also righteousness in Hebrew] to the poor makes the Holy Name above properly whole, connecting her with ZA, which gives her everything. Because Tzedaka is the tree of life, ZA, and Tzedaka gives and bestows upon justice, Malchut, when she gives to justice, ZA and Malchut connect with one another and the Holy Name is complete.
One who evokes that awakening below, who gives Tzedaka, it is certainly as though he performed the work of the Creator in completeness. As one does below, so it awakens above. This is why it is written, “Happy are they that keep justice, that do righteousness at all times.” The one who does righteousness is the Creator, as though he made Him.
22) The poor’s place is Malchut when she is not in Zivug with ZA. This is because the poor has nothing of his own, except what he is given. The moon, Malchut, has no light of her own but what the sun, ZA, gives her.
23) The poor is as good as dead because that place caused him, since he is in a place of death. Malchut is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If one is rewarded, it is good and life. And if he is not rewarded, it is evil and death. This is why he is called “dead.” And one who pities him gives him alms and makes the tree of life, called “righteousness,” be over the tree of knowledge, which is the tree of death, as it is written, “But righteousness delivers from death.”
It turns out that as one does below, reviving the poor, who is called “dead,” precisely so he affects above, placing the tree of life over the tree of death. Happy is he for he is rewarded with making the Holy Name above, uniting her with ZA. For this reason, righteousness exceeds everything.
Giving Donation, Maaser [Tithing] and Hallah
VaYikra [The Lord Called]
119) Hunger comes to the world for the three sins of not giving “donation,” “tithing,” and Hallah [twist bread]. All these sins are only in the rich because their hearts are proud. They are absent in the poor. But what is the sentence? The Creator kills the poor and leaves the rich, for only the poor die of hunger, not the rich. Thus, the rich shall continue to sin before Him because they are not hurt. When the Creator wishes to avenge the wicked and obliterate them from the world, He gives them peace in this world and fulfills everything for them.
120) All the people in the world are not as close to the high King as those Kelim that He uses, which are, “A broken and a remorseful heart,” and “The contrite and lowly of spirit.” Those are the King’s vessels, and when there is drought and hunger in the world, and the Din over the poor intensifies, they cry and yell before the King and the Creator brings them closer than any man, as it is written, “For He has not despised nor abhorred the lowliness of the poor.” Then the Creator remembers why hunger has come to the world. Woe unto the wicked, who have caused it.
121) When the King awakens to watch over the world because of the sound of the cry of the poor, the Merciful one will save us from them and from their affront. Then it is written, “I will surely hear their cry.” It writes hear twice [in Hebrew], once to watch over with their voice, and once to avenge them who caused it to them, as it is written, “That I will hear; for I am gracious, and My anger will be kindled.” Hence, when there is hunger in the world, woe unto the wicked wealthy for the sound of the cry of the poor before the Creator.