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| * Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 12 rules like the Rishon Letzion that knowledge is enough to violate the prohibition biblically. Also, Beer Moshe 4:92 holds that there is a biblical obligation to give when requested for tzedaka through a letter.</ref> | | * Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 12 rules like the Rishon Letzion that knowledge is enough to violate the prohibition biblically. Also, Beer Moshe 4:92 holds that there is a biblical obligation to give when requested for tzedaka through a letter.</ref> |
| # If someone can afford to give ten percent to tzedaka and doesn’t give a poor person asking is in violation of לא תאמץ לבבך and לא תקפץ ידך.<ref>Chafetz Chaim (Ahavat Chesed 2:19:4 in fnt. s.v. uma)</ref> Some say that one only violates those prohibitions if they see a poor person asking for tzedaka.<ref>Mahari Kurkus (Matanot Aniyim 7:2), Rashba Shevuot 25a. However, the Rishon Letzion 247:1 holds like the Rambam (Sefer Hamitzvot Lavin 232) that the prohibitions apply even if one just knows about the poor person.</ref> | | # If someone can afford to give ten percent to tzedaka and doesn’t give a poor person asking is in violation of לא תאמץ לבבך and לא תקפץ ידך.<ref>Chafetz Chaim (Ahavat Chesed 2:19:4 in fnt. s.v. uma)</ref> Some say that one only violates those prohibitions if they see a poor person asking for tzedaka.<ref>Mahari Kurkus (Matanot Aniyim 7:2), Rashba Shevuot 25a. However, the Rishon Letzion 247:1 holds like the Rambam (Sefer Hamitzvot Lavin 232) that the prohibitions apply even if one just knows about the poor person.</ref> |
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| ==How Much to Give==
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| ===Knocking on the Doors===
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| # The community should supply a poor person who asks in private the amount he is lacking with respect to his previous standard of living. However, to a poor person who is knocking on doors the community only needs to give him money for 2 meals and a place to stay.<Ref>Kitzur S”A 34:3 </ref>
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| # An individual who is requested for tzedaka by someone poor, if the poor person is going around to many people to collect whether at their houses or in shul, an individual does not have to give more than a small amount that is less than the value of a meal.<ref>Bava Batra 9a establishes that a poor person collecting from many people in the community is only entitled to a small gift. The Tur 250:3 explains that the Rosh understands that this only applies to the communal fund but everyone else doesn't even have to give that amount. However, the Tur concludes like the Rambam that everyone needs to give that amount. Bet Yosef explains that even the Rambam agrees with the Rosh. Bach 250:2 accepts the Tur and Rambam that it applies to everyone. Shach 250:4 and Badei Hashulchan 250:29 agree. Bet Yosef 250:3 sides with the opinion of Tosfot and Rosh that a large amount is a mealsworth, so a small amount is less than that.</ref> In fact it is sufficient to give any amount that the poor person would consider to have some significance.<ref>Badei Hashulchan 250:28</ref>
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| # It is wrong to stop poor people from collecting by knocking at doors.<ref>Badei Hashulchan 250:30 citing Ahavat Chesed 2:17 fnt. s.v. vchadashim</ref>
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| ===Not Turning Away a Poor Person Empty-Handed===
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| # One is forbidden to turn away a beggar empty-handed, even if one only gives him a very small amount of money.<ref>Derech Emunah 7:5 understands that one should give something even if it is as small as a fig implies that it can be even less than a pruta.</ref> If one doesn't have any money, one should comfort him with words.<ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 34:8 </ref> Therefore, a should budget himself not to give out all of his tzedaka at once so that he has a little bit of tzedaka available throughout the year.<ref>Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 12</ref>
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| ==Whom To Give To== | | ==Whom To Give To== |
