Supporting Those Who Are Slipping
Based on Ahavas Chesed vol. 2 chapter 21
Thus far, the Chofetz Chaim has discussed acts of chesed extended to our fellow man regardless of their financial status. Now he addresses the particular case of someone who has fallen on hard times and requires assistance to avoid becoming a “charity case.” This is an even greater form of chesed because it also fulfills the mitzvah commanded in Vayikra 25:35: “If your brother becomes impoverished and his means fall short, you shall strengthen him – the convert and the born Jew – and he shall live with you.”
The Gemara (Temurah 16a) discusses the verse from Mishlei (22:2): “the rich and the poor met; God made them all.” It interprets this verse as discussing a needy person who approaches a wealthy person for assistance. If the wealthy person does so… perfect! That’s the way it should be. But if the wealthy man declines to assist… well, God made them all! He made this one rich and that one poor, and He can easily swap their stations in life! Therefore, when we find ourselves on the receiving end of such requests, we should try to see ourselves in the other person’s place. If we don’t help, we may find our places switched. But if we do help, then we will both benefit (“he shall live with you”).
Getting the down-on-his-luck person a job also fulfills the mitzvah to support a needy brother, as we see in the Mishneh Torah (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:7). A person should do his utmost to keep someone from failing to earn a living by helping them to secure employment in their field.
Some righteous people give support to those who have fallen on hard times by extending to them loans to be repaid in small weekly installments. This is a form of kindness to the recipients because in this manner they can repay their loans while retaining their dignity, which would not be the case if they had to repay in one lump sum. The Gemara in Avodah Zara (4a) supports this approach, telling us that when a person extends a loan to someone he likes, he accepts repayment in small installments.
We previously discussed the heter iskah, by which a lender can protect his investment and even turn a profit, while the borrower can more easily repay. One should extend the same courtesy to people in dire straits who require assistance. This will cause God to coronate the lender with the “crown of a good name” (Avos 4:12), which the Mishnah teaches is the highest accolade to which one can aspire. A lender who follows this course of action fulfills what is written in Tehillim 41:2: “Happy is one who considers the needy; on his day of evil (i.e., judgment) Hashem will protect him.”
The intention isn’t that one should extend such courtesies simply to an individual; optimally, one should behave this way generally. The Chofetz Chaim mentions societies called “Someich Noflim” (“those who support the falling”) who keep those who have fallen on hard times from becoming completely dependent. These funds operate as follows: They lend money to needy applicants for a designated period of time, with repayment made in small weekly installments. One member of the organization goes around collecting the payments in order to ensure that the fund is never depleted. Giving such loans fulfills the mitzvah to strengthen others in their times of need when the loan is extended, plus it’s a form of chesed at the time of repayment. Regarding such an arrangement, the Gemara in Succah (49b) teaches that the reward for giving tzedakah is based specifically on the degree of chesed that it contains.
Giving a gift to someone whose ability to support himself is slipping, thereby strengthening his position, also fulfills this mitzvah. We must therefore be cognizant of people whose businesses suffer losses, or families in which a breadwinner passes away. If we give money in such cases, thereby enabling the recipients to reestablish themselves, it’s a tremendous mitzvah. Hashem increases the lifespans of those who fulfill this mitzvah as per Vayikra Rabbah (34:2), expounding on Mishlei 19:17: “Hashem lends to those who are compassionate upon the downtrodden.”
This mitzvah is also fulfilled by getting the needy person a job or some other situation whereby he can support himself. One should absolutely keep this in mind when hiring a workman or a driver, supporting local businesses, etc. We should be willing to pay a little bit more than we otherwise might in order to help our brethren earn a living, and even more so in the case of those who are struggling. We must have faith that for fulfilling the mitzvah of helping others to support themselves – which is the highest level of tzedakah – Hashem will grant us success in our various endeavors, in addition to the rewards that await us in the Next World.
The Chofetz Chaim concludes by stressing that it’s not enough to catch someone who’s falling just once; we must be prepared to do so even multiple times. Vayikra 25:35 says, “you shall strengthen him,” which the Sifra (Behar 5:1) teaches means as often as necessary.
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