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Charity is, arguably, the most important of all G-d’s commandments. In the Jerusalem Talmud it is called simply ‘The Commandment’ (‘HaMitzva’) and the ‘Tanya’ and elsewhere it is explained that charity is the only way to bring Moshiach (Messiah) and save the entire world.
At first glance this is not understood. Why is charity good? Isn’t it G-d’s will that certain people be poor? After all, G-d creates everything constantly and NOTHING happens by accident, even poverty. Why change G-d’s decrees? Even more; there are many spiritual reasons that it’s GOOD to be poor, for instance poverty erases sins done in this or previous lifetimes, teaches humility and more.
So maybe we should teach the poor to ACCEPT poverty as it says in the ‘Ethics of the Fathers’ (4:1) “Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot!” Why is it so important to give charity?

To help understand, here is a Baal Shem Tov story.

When the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe (Shalom Dovber) was just a child, his father (Rebbe Shmuel) woke him one morning and asked him if he had dreamed anything. The boy thought for a minute, began trembling with fear and answered yes. He had just dreamt that he saw several awesomely holy men and one of them told him a Torah idea and a story.
When he described the men his father identified the one who spoke as the Baal Shem Tov (who had passed away years earlier).
The boy went on to relate; “The Torah idea was from the fourth chapter of Ethics of the Fathers. There it says ‘Who is mighty? He who conquers his selfish inclination.’ And he explained: ‘The reason it says ‘conquers’ and not breaks or something similar, is because it requires more might to conquer, and transform our negative side than to break or mortify it.’
“And then the Besh’t (Baal Shem Tov) told a story:
“When I was a young man of twenty, shortly after being accepted as a member of the hidden Tzadikim [a group of holy Jews who, disguised as simple people, dedicated their lives to improving their Jewish brethren both spiritually and physically] several of us went to the city of Brody and there saw I the most amazing thing.
“I was standing in the market place speaking to a large group of locals when I noticed from the corner of my eye an older man walking in the distance, bent under the burden of a large sack he was carrying on his shoulder. His face was covered with sweat and there was nothing unusual about him except that over his head floated a brilliant pillar of fire.
“He and the other townspeople must not have known it was there because no one treated him unusually. A few of them even yelled ‘Keep going Hershel-Goat’ and ‘Carry, Hershel, Carry!’ And he yelled back with a smile ‘Thanks! G-d bless you!’
“I could not believe my eyes. I called over two of the elder Tzakikim who were with me, Rav Yechezkel and Rav Efriam. They also saw the fire, but also couldn’t explain it. For all appearances this Hershel was just a simple old Jew trying to make a living, what connected him to such a great revelation?
“For several days I observed him whenever possible in order to understand what merit he had to bring this fire, but to no avail. I inquired about him and was told that he lived alone. His wife died some ten years ago and they had no children. He earned a meek living by carrying things and doing odd jobs. But as far as everyone knew the only reason he needed money was to feed a few goats that he owned. That’s why they called him Hershel Goat. But I couldn’t understand how he merited to that pillar of fire.
“So I decided to fast the first three days of each week, only drinking water at night, until G-d gave me the answer.
“I had just finished the first three days and was leaving the Shul (Synagogue) when by Divine providence, there was Hershel walking down the street and when he saw me he smiled a big smile and said shook my hand.
“I told him I was very weak from the fast and asked if he could give me something to eat. ‘Of course! Of course!’ He said joyously as though he was expecting me to ask. “Please, just follow me to my home! I’m so happy to help.’
“We walked for about an hour till we came to an old run-down hut at the edge of the woods. Nothing seemed unusual until, when he opened the door and entered, suddenly four or five goats jumped from all corners of the house at him. They lovingly licked his hands and face and literally pranced with joy. I had never quite seen the likes of it. Hershel quieted the goats, told me to sit down, took out a large metal vessel, milked one of them and poured me a glass of milk to drink.
“‘Nothing healthier than goat’s milk!’ he said with satisfaction as he handed me a second glassful. But when I tried to pay him he refused,
‘G-d forbid! Money? No! No money, no money! It’s my pleasure! I’m the one that benefits! What, I should take money too?’ he said with a smile on his face.
“Then he looked at me seriously and said, ‘I want to tell you a true story. You have no idea how happy I am that you came here. Please listen. Want another glass of milk?’ He sat down opposite me, waiting a few moments to collect his thoughts, and then began.
“‘My wife, of blessed memory was a real Tzadekis (righteous woman), always helping people. She passed away ten years ago. But when she was here any time anyone needed anything she was there doing everything she could to help. She collected money for the poor, cared for people when they were sick; everything she did was for others. Well, like I said, about ten years ago she passed away but seven days after she died; after the seven days of mourning, she appeared to me in a dream.
“‘She told me that after she died, she was received warmly by the souls of all those she had helped and taken directly to one of the highest heavens.
“‘She told me that nothing is valued in heaven more than giving charity and kindness and that I should do what she did and help others all the time. So that is why I bought these goats; since that dream I give free milk to whoever needs it and it has done wonders for people, simply wonders, and I am so happy I can help.
“This was ten years ago. Since then, my wife never appeared to me again until just before I woke up this morning. She came and said that today I would meet a holy man who would change my life. I think that’s you. I’m sure she was talking about you.
“Please stay by me for a few days and teach me Torah. I don’t want anything, not in this world or the next, except to learn Torah. But….I don’t even know how to read! Please stay.’
The Besh’t continued:
“I stayed by Hershel for several days and watched the way he lovingly cared for his goats and how he brought their milk to tens of people that needed it. Everything done with a simple, contagious joy and with no egotism whatsoever. But on the other hand, he had no talent for leaning and after a few days of really trying to teach him he still couldn’t recognize the letters.
“I spoke it over with the Tzadikim and we decided to take him under our wing and teach him Torah. For three years we taught him the most basic books and then one day his mind simply opened. He suddenly understood and remembered everything we taught him, even the most difficult concepts in Talmud and in Kabala, but he never lost his simplicity.
“After five more years he became a great hidden Tzadik and mystic in his own right, moved to the city of Ostripol and for the next ten years helped and even saved hundreds of Jews with his prayers and blessings.
“But the story has a strange ending. As fate would have it, Hershel passed away on a cold, miserable, rainy day and the burial society of Ostripol barely found ten Jews to escort him to his final resting place and only with the greatest difficulty. And this was not received well in heavens.
“There a decree was passed that, because of their mistreatment of Hershel, the city of Ostripol should suffer terrible misfortunes.
“I and the other Tzadikim; tried to avert the decree, but to no avail; it seems that disgracing a Tzadik is no small matter. All our supplications, prayers and fasting had no effect. Things really looked bad until, suddenly, the soul of Hershel’s wife appeared before the heavenly court.
“All the accusing angels fell silent as she spoke. How could it be that the entire city of Ostripol would be punished because of her husband? Her husband had devoted his life to helping people. The biggest disgrace that could be done to him would be to cause anyone, no less an entire city, to suffer on his account. She demanded that the punishment be annulled.
“After short deliberation her demands were met. She accomplished what the efforts and prayers of the greatest, holiest Tzaddikim could not. Then I woke.”
This is the dream that the Rebbe Resha’b related to his father.

This answers our questions about the importance of giving charity.

True, G-d creates the world, nothing happens by accident and poor people are meant to be poor. But they aren’t meant to stay that way; they are there for us to improve their situation by charity.
Similarly, the entire world needs charity. The world is poor: lacking joy, blessing and meaning and it is in our hands to improve it. In fact, this is the theme and entire message of the Torah: the Jewish people were chosen by G_d to change world ‘poverty’ to wealth.
This is what the Ethics of the Fathers means about ‘being happy with one’s ‘lot’. It is referring to our duty (i.e. our ‘lot) to transform the world to be a ‘rich’ and blessed place.

This is the connection between the Baal Shem’s Torah idea (conquering the evil inclination) and his story about Hershel Goat:
The ‘evil inclination’ is another name for Selfishness”.
Selfishness makes us empty and unaware of the truth, goodness and kindness of G-d Almighty (Ain Oni Eleh b’Daas. Talmud Nedarim 41:a). That is the most severe form of poverty.
Charity means filling this void with joy and meaning thus transforming ‘darkness’ to light.
And that is why Hershel merited a pillar of fire, because his selfless deeds brought light and warmth to the dark cold world around him.

That is also why Charity will bring the Moshiach; because, as Maimonides declares at the end of his massive fourteen volume work, “The Moshiach will transform the world; there will be no hunger, war or poverty – the world will be filled with the awareness of G-d.
In other words, the accomplishment of Moshiach will be to end selfishness
It all depends on us to make it happen one second sooner and not much is lacking. We are standing on thousands of years of merits, prayers and charity of Jews. Now it could be that even one more good deed, word or even thought on our part can be the final act of charity that brings…
Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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