"Bigdei Kahuna" Parsha page by Rabbi Yehuda Katz

RE'EH

"Rather, you shall surely open your hand to him (Poor)......" (15:8)

There are 2 distinc ways of giving to the poor, one with an "open" hand and the other with a "closed" hand. The Torah wants us to give with an "open" hand as stated in verse 15:8. Giving with an "open" is with a joyous heart and with graciousness..............................................However, a question can be asked as follows: What difference should it possibly make how the money is being given as long as the poor person is helped? We can ,Bezrat Hashem, learn a tremendous lesson from the Torah in this regard. The Torah is intimately concerned with the giver and how he or she lives their life.By giving with an "open" hand , the giver is surely making a definate change in himself for the better. He (giver) is conditioning himself to being a more gracious person, his soul is becoming refined and improved................This is what G-d wants and desires to happen..................G-d is intimately concerned with you, otherwise why should the Torah care how charity is being given.......................This is the tremendous "Chidush" (novel concept) as brought furth from the Torah.....................Let us understand it well.......... (1) G-d is intimately concerned with your spiritual developement, (2) and your soul must be refined and tranformed into a finely tuned source for rightousness.... Have a good Shabbos...................................................