STORIES FROM THE LIFE OF SAGES


"Two different gold"


Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Riemann sat surrounded by his students when teaching in the house came a beggar. One of its kind the poor fellow pathetic in others: clothes - rags, consisting entirely of patches, pale and skinny - skin and bones. Seeing him, Rabbi Menachem Mendel whispered to his servant, that he went to his office and took from the pocket of his coat a gold coin. When the servant brought the coin Rabbi, he immediately gave it to the beggar. The poor man was very glad such a large alms - it was more than he could even dream of! Happy, he left the beit midrash.


And Rabbi Menachem Mendel, after some time pondering occurring upset. He realized that by giving money to a beggar, did so only out of pity and did not think that at this moment it fulfills the commandment of charity. But charity - tzedakah - commanded to us by God himself, and obey this commandment, we should do it for the sake of His Name! The Parsha Terumah Torah states: "And they shall take I-offering," and the great commentator of the Pentateuch Rashi explains this strange turn (not "give" and "take"): "To me (from what, and so belongs to God) - for the sake of my name. "


Rav called his servant and asked him to find the cause of the poor and to him. He ran errand, and soon found the poor man in the market. When he heard that Rabbi calls him to himself, he was afraid, thinking that Rav gave him the gold by mistake, and now, finding a substitute is going to take away the gold and give a small coin in return. Sad, he went back to the Rabbi. Imagine his surprise when Rabbi not only took from him his gold, but also gave another one! When a beggar found his voice, he plucked up courage and asked the rabbi: "Rabbi, if you were going to give me two gold, why not give them at once? After all, I was very upset when he thought that you discovered that this coin was given in error, and want to take it back! " Rav said: "It is written in the chapter Ree:" Giving, let him. " Why is the word "give" is used twice? To teach us that if we first help the poor solely out of compassion, we should give him more time - for the fulfillment of the commandments. That's why I gave you the money twice. And it is also said: "Let not your heart is bad, when you're giving him." When a person gives for the first time, his heart overwhelmed with pity and sympathy for the unfortunate. And then, when his heart to calm down, he would have to see to it to fulfill the commandment as it should be. "


In the book, "A branch of a family tree"