Parashat Re'eh - The Immense Power of Charity and the Secret of Good Thoughts

"For the destitute will never cease to exist within the land; therefore, I command you, saying, 'You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor, and to your destitute in your land.'" (Deuteronomy 15:11)

Every single day there are completely new miracles that have never existed before. So what is a person worried about?! A person is afraid to give charity. Give charity, give something, do not be afraid—everything will open up. All the gates of Heaven will open for you, as it is written, "You shall surely open." When a person gives charity, he opens all the gates: the gates of Da'as (knowledge), the gates of Chochmah (wisdom), the gates of Binah (understanding), the gates of prayer, the gates of shidduchim (marriage matches), and the gates of parnassah (livelihood).

When a poor person is sent to someone, it is a sign that Heaven wants to save him—to save him from some calamity, from some disaster. Is your child sick? Give charity, and there will be miracles; there will be healing. Through charity, you will be able to heal others as well.

The holy Zohar (111a) says: "Praiseworthy is the portion of the person who does good with what is his, for he awakens goodness for the Congregation of Israel. And with what? With charity... And regarding this it is written (Proverbs 10), 'And charity will save from death...'" (Praiseworthy is the portion of the man who does good from his own, for he awakens goodness with the Congregation of Israel. And with what? With charity... And regarding this it is written, 'And charity will save from death.' What is the reason? Because charity is the Tree of Life, and it awakens against that Tree of Death, taking those who are grasped by it and saving them from death... As it is stated, 'He does charity at all times.')

Opening the Gates of Abundance Above Nature

The moment a person distributes charity, he has no idea what miracles he will experience, what wonders will happen to him. He becomes incorporated into the Tree of Life; he exists above nature, in completely different spiritual worlds. He is no longer in this physical world at all—he rules over all the worlds and over the astrological signs. He can nullify all harsh decrees from upon himself and from upon all of Israel.

Tzaddikim have a custom not to sit down to eat without guests. This was the practice of Avraham Avinu: "And he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day" (Parashat Vayeira). "The entrance of the tent"—to see if there was any passerby so he could bring them into his home. "In the heat of the day"—Hashem took the sun out of its sheath (making it intensely hot) so as not to burden him with guests. But when Hashem saw that Avraham was distressed that no guests were coming, He brought angels to him in the form of men.

Avraham said to Eliezer, "Go look for guests. Maybe someone is stuck on the road; maybe someone fainted somewhere." Eliezer went out for a full hour, wandering and searching for guests... But outside there was a terrible heat, "the heat of the day." The world was burning from the intense heat. Hashem brought out such a blazing sun that the whole world was scorching; people were dying. It was like the fire of Gehenna, and no one went outside.

When Eliezer returned, he said to Avraham, "There are no guests; I didn't find any guests." Avraham replied, "There is no faith in servants! You don't know how to find guests, you don't know how to bring guests. I will bring guests! I will not sit down to eat without guests!" Avraham went out to search for guests in the middle of the heat. He didn't feel the heat; he didn't feel a thing.

He went out into this terrible heat, into the blazing sun when no one else could go out. And the moment Avraham stepped outside, Hashem sent angels down from Heaven in the form of guests so that he would not be distressed. This is the custom of the tzaddikim—they do not eat alone. The food is not yours; you are not the master over the food. You must always know that this food belongs to Hashem. You share this food with someone else because this food is a gift from Hashem.

The money is not yours; you are merely a guardian of a deposit. Everything you have is not yours—it belongs to all of Israel. A poor person is sent to you? Right now, Heaven wants to save you. "Charity saves from death" is not just some proverb; it is absolutely literal. Charity saves from death; it is above everything. When a person gives charity, he ascends to the World of Atzilus (the highest spiritual realm of Divine Emanation). He rises above all the astrological signs, above the laws of nature, above the stars, and above all the harsh decrees that were decreed upon him.

Moving the Money - The Secret of Zuzim (Coins)

A person needs to give charity—the ma'aser (tenth) or the chomesh (fifth) of his income—and he will ultimately see that it multiplies for him. He will give a hundred dollars and receive a thousand dollars; he will give a thousand dollars and receive a hundred thousand. He will see this with his own eyes. This is why money is called zuzim (an ancient currency, from the root zuz, meaning to move)—you need to move the money. Do not leave it in your pocket. Move it, move the tithe, pass it on, keep it moving forward. If you move it, you will see that it will be doubled and redoubled.

And this is what is written: "Test Me now in this, says Hashem of Hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour out for you blessing until there is more than enough." (Malachi 3:10)

Generally, it is forbidden to test Hashem, but the one thing where it is permitted to test Hashem is with charity. The moment a person gives charity, gives something, he will see that his parnassah (livelihood) begins to fly to him; money will start flowing to him. This is what Rebbe Nachman explains (Likutei Moharan I, 23:4) regarding the verse, "And the Almighty shall be your stronghold, and you shall have silver in abundance (kesef to'afot)" (Job 22:25). Whoever feels the pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) and the pain of every Jew—which is the meaning of "the Almighty shall be in your distress (b'tzarecha)"—will then merit "silver in abundance (kesef to'afot)," meaning his parnassah will fly (ta'uf) to him like a bird.

The Face of the King: The Struggle for Good Thoughts

Bad thoughts are the disaster of the entire creation. Even Adam HaRishon (the First Man) blemished himself with a bad thought when he became jealous of the angels. The entire spiritual work of a person, the entire teshuvah (repentance) of a person in this world, is to flee from a bad thought to a good thought. A good thought means thinking about how to serve Hashem, how to do Hashem's will, how to sanctify the Name of Heaven, and how to do good.

Bad thoughts come all the time: thoughts of anger, strictness, feeling deprived, inferiority, and jealousy. Thoughts of how to get honor, how to get attention, how to get money. This is the Evil Inclination itself, Amalek. We must flee from bad thoughts, and even if we fall, we must start again. This is the true test, "You test him every moment."

Every time we transform a bad thought into a good thought, every time we manage to disconnect ourselves from a bad thought—we receive a reward. When a person is immersed in the physicality of things, that is a bad thought. When a person is immersed in the spirituality of things, that is a good thought. This is a ceaseless effort in this world. All of teshuvah is simply thinking good thoughts. Thinking about Hashem, about one's spouse, about the children, about the parents, about the neighbors—how can I bring joy to everyone, how can I bring nachas ruach (pleasure) to Hashem.

A person is constantly thinking, which is why one must make an effort to think good thoughts, and if, Heaven forbid, there is a bad thought—stop. Start a good thought; do not give up. A good thought is: How can I serve You? How can I open my heart to You? Hashem, I want You. How can I stop thinking about myself and how I appear in the eyes of others?

Between Light and Darkness: Bringing Godliness into the Mind

A person is constantly tossed between good and bad thoughts, between light and darkness. It is as if a person spends their entire life in the twilight zone, at dusk. One moment is like this, and the next moment is like that. One moment is day, and the next is night. One moment is Minchah (the afternoon prayer), and the next is Maariv (the evening prayer). One moment is light, and the next is darkness. One moment is mundane, and suddenly it is Shabbos. One moment brings a good thought, and the next brings a bad thought.

"The voice of my Beloved knocks" (light), "my Beloved has slipped away and is gone" (darkness) — every single day both illuminates and darkens. Hashem loves us all the time, and when it grows dark for us, He loves us even more. This is because we make an effort, we fight, and we constantly uproot ourselves from bad to good.

When a person has bad thoughts and wants to fight them, wanting to transform them into good thoughts, they must transition to speech. Speak positively, say a good word to a friend—it will resonate in their mind for many days. Pray, bless one another, and speak with Hashem. From speech, we move on to actions: giving charity, performing acts of loving-kindness, doing good deeds, and helping out at home.

But more than anything else is the study of Torah. In order to subdue the kingdom of wickedness located in the mind—which are the negative thoughts—and to enthrone the kingdom of holiness, which is the Kingship of Hashem, it is only possible through studying Torah with sheer force, even when it isn't going well, when it is difficult for you, and when you are falling asleep. This is the only thing that brings Godliness into our minds and transforms bad thoughts into good thoughts. It transforms the evil eyes, which represent death and sadness, into good eyes, which represent life and inner joy.

Torah Insights: Charity with Goodwill

"And your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Hashem your God will bless you, etc." (Deuteronomy 15:10)

The essence of charity is the goodwill—transforming anger and cruelty into divine will, as Rebbe Nachman wrote (Likutey Moharan, Torah 4). Therefore, one must give charity with goodwill, without any malice in the heart, in order to nullify anger and draw down divine will, which is the main point of charity. Through this, one merits to nullify all the thirty-nine categories of mundane labor, which contain the grasp of the serpent's impurity, corresponding to the thirty-nine curses.

This is the meaning of "because for this thing Hashem will bless you." Specifically, "Hashem will bless you"—the exact opposite of the curses from the sin of Adam, which was "in sadness you shall eat of it," corresponding to the thirty-nine labors. For through giving charity with goodwill, one merits to draw the illumination of divine will into the world of action, elevating action into divine will. Through this, all mundane actions and all thirty-nine labors are nullified, because the world is sustained by His loving-kindness alone, which is the aspect of blessing and grace.

This is why the verse continues, "Hashem your God will bless you in all your works and in all your endeavors." Blessing and loving-kindness are drawn upon all actions through the illumination of divine will, until one merits to nullify all mundane actions completely, as action is absorbed into divine will. All of this is achieved through charity, which transforms the anger inherent in the realm of action into divine will. (Likutey Halachos, Reishis HaGez 5:17)

Why Don't We Recite a Blessing Over the Mitzvah of Charity?

"If there shall be a destitute person among you... you shall surely open your hand to him..." (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)

On this verse, Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, the "Baal HaTurim," notes: In this Torah portion, we find a double expression regarding the mitzvah of charity three times: 1) "You shall surely open (patoach tiftach) your hand to him." 2) "You shall surely give (naton titten) to him." 3) "You shall surely furnish (ha'aneik ta'anik) him." Through this, the Torah emphasizes that there is no limit to giving charity, and one certainly should not settle for a one-time donation. Rather, whenever a person encounters a needy poor person, it is their obligation to support them generously.

In this regard, the Sages of Israel ask: Why don't we recite a blessing over the mitzvah of charity, just as we recite blessings over other mitzvot from the Torah? The Rashba explains it in the following way: Any mitzvah that a person cannot fulfill on their own, but rather depends on others, does not require a blessing. In the mitzvah of charity as well, the giver depends on the mind of the poor person receiving it. For if the poor person refuses to take the charity money, and the giver has already recited the blessing, their blessing would have been in vain, Heaven forbid.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, offers a beautiful Chassidic explanation for this: A Jew must recite a blessing over a mitzvah with a whole heart and inner joy. However, when giving charity to the poor, it is sometimes done with a divided heart and without true, complete joy (because a person feels it as a "loss of money"). For this reason, the Sages did not establish a blessing for this important mitzvah.

The tzaddik Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa commented on this matter: The early Sages did well by not instituting a blessing for the fulfillment of the mitzvah of charity. Imagine how many preparations Chassidim and men of pious deeds would make before reciting the blessing—washing their hands and reciting the "Leshem Yichud" (a Kabbalistic prayer of unification)—and in the meantime, Heaven forbid, that needy poor person could starve to death. From this we learn that charity must be given with great alacrity and without any unnecessary delays, because sometimes human lives depend on it. (Bnei Tzion)

Stories for Parashas Re'eh: Having Mercy on God's Creations

"You shall surely give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him..."

There is a story of a poor man who would go door to door to collect charity in order to bring food home to his family. Once, this poor man was walking in the street, and his shoes became covered in mud due to the heavy rains that had fallen. He arrived at the home of a certain rich man, whose floor was paved with very expensive white marble stones. When the poor man entered and stepped on the marble floor, the rich man was filled with rage and began shouting at him loudly: "Get out of my house immediately, for you are dirtying the marble floor with mud and clay!"

The rich man immediately ordered his servants to beat the poor man and throw him out. However, the poor man refused to leave and said to the rich man, "I would like to say a few words to you." To his surprise, the rich man agreed to listen. The poor man said to him, "Behold, it is known that every day during the morning prayers we recite the prayer of 'Baruch She'amar,' and as is well known, it is written there: 'Blessed is He Who has mercy on the earth, blessed is He Who has mercy on the creations.' We see from here that we praise Hashem, may He be blessed, for having mercy on both the earth and the creations.

"Behold, our Sages taught us that a person must learn from the traits of Hashem. But as for you – I see that you have only learned from Hashem to have mercy on the earth, since you are so distressed over your precious floor that got dirty. However," the poor man added, "it is also written, 'Blessed is He who has mercy on the creations,' and therefore you must also have mercy on the creations, and have mercy on me." When the rich man heard the words of the poor man, he was very ashamed and gave that sharp-witted poor man a handsome sum of charity...

The Secret to Success in Business

"And Hashem your God will bless you in all that you do"

A certain chassid arrived early at the door of the tzaddik, Rabbi Meir Yechiel of Ostrovtza, and complained to him that his parnassah (livelihood) was tight, and he did not have the means to properly support his household. The tzaddik said to him, "It is stated in Parashas Re'eh: 'And Hashem your God will bless you in all that you do.' Therefore, open some sort of business for yourself, and with Hashem's help, the blessing will rest upon the work of your hands!"

"But Rebbe!" the chassid cried out with emotion. "My father, peace be upon him, left me a clothing store as an inheritance, which supported him with dignity and abundance. However, since the store passed into my possession, the revenue has dropped drastically, and now it does not even bring in enough to barely support my family. Often, I stand in my store for an entire day without seeing a single customer."

"And what do you do on such days when no customers visit your store?" asked the tzaddik. "I will admit and not be ashamed," the chassid muttered weakly, "that I simply idle away the time or look through some newspaper."

"If that is the case," Rabbi Meir Yechiel called out with a tone of displeasure, "it is abundantly clear to me why success does not rest in your home. Your father, peace be upon him, would utilize every free moment – between one customer and the next – to learn a page of Gemara or Chumash with Rashi, and the Book of Tehillim never left his table from morning until evening. Because of this, the Satan would constantly send him customers without pause, in order to distract him and cause him to idle from his Torah study. But as for you, who spends your time all day in vanity and striving after wind, the Satan has no interest in bothering you with customers..."

Names for success:

Refael Sapin ben Leah

Yitzchak ben Shula

Chaim Lavi ben Esther

Yosef Ifergan ben Rachel and his family

Yashar koach (may your strength be firm)...