Charity: Difference between revisions
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→Definition of Poor
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===Definition of Poor=== | ===Definition of Poor=== | ||
#Someone who is lacking basic needs for him or herself or their family according to their community is considered poor in order to collect tzedaka.<ref>Aruch Hashulchan 251:7 explains that someone who just has a small amount of bread and water and nothing else is considered someone who is poor and doesn't have to give tzedaka. It doesn't include any nicer foods or luxuries. Rav Elyashiv (B'orach Tzedaka p. 348 quoted by Rav Dovid Morgenstern) held that if someone has enough money for his food and clothing but not enough for periodic expenses such as medical bills, rent, or making a wedding for a child they are considered poor and giving them is matanot levyonim. However, someone who has enough for this year's expenses giving to them so that they can pay for next year's expenses is not considered a poor person for matanot levyonim.</ref> | #Someone who is lacking basic needs for him or herself or their family according to their community is considered poor in order to collect tzedaka.<ref>Aruch Hashulchan 251:7 explains that someone who just has a small amount of bread and water and nothing else is considered someone who is poor and doesn't have to give tzedaka. It doesn't include any nicer foods or luxuries. Rav Elyashiv (B'orach Tzedaka p. 348 quoted by Rav Dovid Morgenstern) held that if someone has enough money for his food and clothing but not enough for periodic expenses such as medical bills, rent, or making a wedding for a child they are considered poor and giving them is matanot levyonim. However, someone who has enough for this year's expenses giving to them so that they can pay for next year's expenses is not considered a poor person for matanot levyonim.</ref> | ||
====Employed==== | |||
#Someone who has a steady salary which covers his expenses is not poor and cannot take tzedaka even if he doesn't have any savings.<ref>Shevet Halevi 2:120, B'orach Tzedaka 5:2 p. 68</ref> | |||
#Someone who doesn't have a steady salary to cover his expenses is considered poor.<Ref>B'orach Tzedaka 5:2 p. 68 based on Shevet Halevi 2:120 and Rav Moshe Mordechai Karp quoting Rav Elyashiv</ref> | |||
====Unemployed==== | |||
# Someone unemployed is considered poor.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 253:2</ref> | |||
# Someone unemployed and has savings which when invested wouldn't be enough to support him doesn't need to wait until the savings run out before he takes tzedaka, since he doesn't have a steady income from a job or from his investments is considered poor.<ref>Shevet Halevi 2:120. He explains that the Tur means that the standard of someone who was poor in the days of the mishna was 200 zuz because even if after using up that money there's a built in welfare system of maaser ani, leket, shichacha, and peah for the poor to collect. However, today since we don't have that, it is incumbent upon tzedaka to provide for a person to be able to have a steady income for his whole life. Badei Hashulchan on 253:2 also writes that someone who can't do business or invest can collect from tzedaka even more than for a year, but he limits it to 5 years of parnasa. Similarly, B'orach Tzedaka 5:2 fnt. 5 quotes Rav Moshe Mordechai Karp that someone who has a job for a year and not the next year is considered poor. | |||
* The Smak (Mitzvah 248) writes that nowadays we don't use the standard of 200 zuz since everything depends on the needs of the poor to be supported for a year and today the needs are greater. Or Zaruah (Hilchot Tzedaka 1:14), Mordechai (b"b n. 500), and Rabbenu Efraim (cited by Or Zaruah) agree. This also appears in Rashba (responsa 1:872). Bet Yosef 253:2 cites these sources. | |||
* The Tur 253:2, however, seems to elaborate and add more conditions. He says that 200 zuz was only relevant when we had a welfare system of tamchuy, kupa, maaser ani, leket, shichacha, and peah. However, we don't have that so it is necessary to give the poor enough capital to support himself from that money. | |||
* Bet Yosef seems to equate the Smak with the Tur. Also, Shulchan Aruch quotes the conclusion of the Tur without his other considerations. Gra 253:6 fills them in. Badei Hashulchan to 253:2, Shevet Halevi 2:120, and Rav Elyashiv cited above seem to follow the approach of the Tur that in essence there is an obligation today to ensure that the poor have a steady income.</ref> | |||
# Someone who can work and refuses and isn't learning Torah full time should not receive tzedaka. In practice someone requesting tzedaka can't know and shouldn't judge if someone unemployed isn't able to work because of a sickness or the like and therefore must give out of doubt.<Ref>B'orach Tzedaka 5:14 p. 71 citing Sefer Chasidim ch. 1035, Rav Yakov Kamenetsky (Emet Lyakov YD 253 fnt. 141), Rav Elyashiv, and Shevet Hakehati 5:177.</ref> | |||
===Non-Jews=== | ===Non-Jews=== | ||
# The community should give non-Jews food and clothing just like they give to Jews, because of "Darchei Shalom," promoting positive relations with non-Jews.<ref>Rama Y.D. 251:1, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 34:3. The Ran Gittin 28a s.v. kovrin understands that one should support poor non-Jews even if they're not asking together with Jewish poor people. However, the Mordechai (cited by Darkei Moshe 251:1) argues that only if the Jewish and non-Jewish poor are requesting simultaneously and it would be apparent that one wouldn't give to a non-Jew that one should give to the non-Jew as well. Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 151:12 and Shach 251:2 rule like the Ran. Gra 251:2 understands the Rama to hold like the Mordechai but personally seems to agree with the Ran. </ref> | # The community should give non-Jews food and clothing just like they give to Jews, because of "Darchei Shalom," promoting positive relations with non-Jews.<ref>Rama Y.D. 251:1, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 34:3. The Ran Gittin 28a s.v. kovrin understands that one should support poor non-Jews even if they're not asking together with Jewish poor people. However, the Mordechai (cited by Darkei Moshe 251:1) argues that only if the Jewish and non-Jewish poor are requesting simultaneously and it would be apparent that one wouldn't give to a non-Jew that one should give to the non-Jew as well. Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 151:12 and Shach 251:2 rule like the Ran. Gra 251:2 understands the Rama to hold like the Mordechai but personally seems to agree with the Ran. </ref> | ||
