אגרת הקדש, פרק כ״א

א[מ: יא תשרי] [פ: יג תשרי] אַחַר דְּרִישַׁת שְׁלוֹמָם, כְּמִשְׁפָּט לְאוֹהֲבֵי שְׁמוֹ, אֶל הַמִּתְנַדְּבִים בָּעָם, לַעֲשׂוֹת צִדְקַת ה׳ עִם אַרְצוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, לָתֵת מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה חוֹק הַקָּצוּב מָעוֹת אֶרֶץ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ, תִּבָּנֶה וְתִכּוֹנֵן בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ, אֲלֵיהֶם תִּטּוֹף מִלָּתִי, וְתִזַּל כַּטַּל אִמְרָתִי, לְזָרֵז לִזְרִיזִים, וּלְחַזֵּק יָדַיִם רָפוֹת בְּמַתַּן דָּמִים מָעוֹת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִדֵּי שַׁבָּת בְּשַׁבַּתּוֹ, וּלְפָחוֹת מִדֵּי חֹדֶשׁ בְּחָדְשׁוֹ, מֵעֶרְכּוֹ הַקָּצוּב לְעֵרֶךְ שָׁנָה, וְכָל כֶּסֶף הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר עָלָה עַל לֵב אִישׁ לְהִתְנַדֵּב בְּלִי נֶדֶר לְפַרְנָסַת אַחֵינוּ יוֹשְׁבֵי אֶרֶץ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ, מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה.

1TWENTY-ONE. Upon enquiring after their welfare, as is becoming to those who love His Name—“May my word drop and my speech trickle as dew”¹ to those who offer themselves willingly among the people² to practice the righteousness of the L–rd (tzidkat Hashem) with His Holy Land³ by giving every year a set sum of monies for our Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and re-established speedily, in our days. (I call upon you) to bestir the alert⁴ and to strengthen weak hands, to contribute monies for the Land of Israel every week, or at least every month, of the amount assigned as the year’s apportionment, as well as all the “dedicated money” that one was inspired to donate annually, without a vow,⁵ for the support of our brethren who live in the Holy Land.

בכִּי הִנֵּה, מִלְּבַד הַיָּדוּעַ לַכֹּל גּוֹדֶל מַעֲלַת הַזְּרִיזוּת בְּכָל הַמִּצְוֹת, הַנֶּאֱמַר וְנִשְׁנָה בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״לְעוֹלָם יַקְדִּים אָדָם לִדְבַר מִצְוָה כוּ׳״, וּזְרִיזוּתֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו־הַשָּׁלוֹם הִיא הָעוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד, לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד עוֹלָם.

2For, note, besides that it is known to all the great virtue of alertness with respect to all commandments—[Thus it is mentioned repeatedly in the sayings of our Sages, of blessed memory: “At all times one should try to be first when it comes to a commandment.”⁶ Also, it is the alertness of our father Abraham, peace to him, that stands by us and our children, for everlasting.

גכִּי הָעֲקֵדָה עַצְמָהּ אֵינָהּ נֶחְשָׁבָה כָּל כָּךְ לְנִסָּיוֹן גָּדוֹל לְעֵרֶךְ מַעֲלַת אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו־הַשָּׁלוֹם, בְּשֶׁגַּם, כִּי ה׳ דִּיבֶּר בּוֹ: ״קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ כוּ׳״ וַהֲרֵי כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה קְדוֹשִׁים שֶׁמָּסְרוּ נַפְשָׁם עַל קְדוּשַּׁת ה׳ גַּם כִּי לֹא דִיבֶּר ה׳ בָּם. רַק שֶׁאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו־הַשָּׁלוֹם עָשָׂה זֹאת בִּזְרִיזוּת נִפְלָאָה, לְהַרְאוֹת שִׂמְחָתוֹ וְחֶפְצוֹ לְמַלֹּאות רְצוֹן קוֹנוֹ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת נַחַת רוּחַ לְיוֹצְרוֹ.

3For the akedah⁷ itself is not really regarded as so great a test in relation to the level of our father Abraham, peace to him, especially as G–d said to him “Please take your son….”⁸ After all, there are numerous saints who gave their lives for the sanctification of the L–rd, even though that G–d did not speak to them. However, our father Abraham, peace to him, did this with a wondrous alertness⁹ to show his joy and desire to fulfill the will of his Master and to cause gratification to his Maker.

דוּמִמֶּנּוּ לָמְדוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה לְקִיּוּם כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת בִּכְלָל, וּבִפְרָט מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה הָעוֹלָה עַל כּוּלָּנָה הַמְּגִינָּה וּמַצְּלָה בְּפֵירוֹתֶיהָ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה מִכָּל מִינֵי פּוּרְעָנִיּוֹת הַמִּתְרַגְּשׁוֹת, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת״, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן מִשְּׁאָר מִינֵי יִסּוּרִים הַקַּלִּים מִמָּוֶת כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁטּוֹב לָנוּ גַּם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה לְהַקְדִּימָהּ כָּל מַה דְּאֶפְשָׁר, שֶׁהֲרֵי אָדָם נִידּוֹן בְּכָל יוֹם:

4And from him our Sages, of blessed memory, derived (the requirement of alertness) with respect to the keeping of all the commandments in general;¹⁰ and in particular with respect to the act of charity, which is superior to them all, protecting and saving by its “fruits” in this world¹¹ from all kinds of calamities that may come about, as it is written: “And tzedakah saves from death,”¹² thus, a fortiori, from other kinds of suffering that are lighter than death. It is, thus, certainly to our benefit, even in this world, to be as zealous with it as possible, for, after all, “Man is judged every day.”¹³]

ה[מ: יב תשרי] [פ: יד תשרי] אַךְ גַּם זֹאת מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַצְּדָקָה, מַעֲלָה פְּרָטִיּוּת גְּדוֹלָה וְנִפְלָאָה אֵין עֲרוֹךְ אֵלֶיהָ, לִהְיוֹת מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה נַעֲשֵׂית בִּפְעָמִים רַבּוֹת, וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה – הֲרֵי זֶה מְשׁוּבָּח, וְלֹא בְּפַעַם אַחַת וּבְבַת אַחַת, גַּם כִּי הַסַּךְ הַכּוֹלֵל אֶחָד הוּא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הָרַמְבַּ״ם זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה בְּפֵירוּשׁ הַמִּשְׁנָה שֶׁשָּׁנוּ חֲכָמִים זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״וְהַכֹּל לְפִי רוֹב הַמַּעֲשֶׂה״:

5Indeed, we also found and noted in the service of charity a particularly great and wondrous advantage, without parallel: the act of charity is performed in numerous times, and whoever performs it frequently is praiseworthy. This is in contrast to performing it in one time and all at once, even when the total sum is the same, as R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, wrote in (his) Commentary on the Mishnah taught by the Sages, of blessed memory: “And everything according to the quantity of the act.”¹⁴

ווְהִנֵּה, מִלְּבַד כִּי הָרַמְבַּ״ם זִכְרוֹנוֹ־לִבְרָכָה בֵּיאֵר הֵיטֵב טַעֲמוֹ וְנִימּוּקוֹ, כְּדֵי לְזַכֵּךְ הַנֶּפֶשׁ עַל־יְדֵי רִבּוּי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, הִנֵּה מִקְרָא מָלֵא דִּיבֵּר הַכָּתוּב: ״פְּעוּלַּת צְדָקָה לְחַיִּים״, דְּהַיְינוּ, שֶׁפְּעוּלָּתָהּ וּסְגוּלָּתָהּ לְהַמְשִׁיךְ חַיִּים עֶלְיוֹנִים מֵחַיֵּי הַחַיִּים אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא לְאֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים, הִיא ״שְׁכִינַת עוּזֵּינוּ״, שֶׁעָלֶיהָ נֶאֱמַר: ״וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת כּוּלָּם״, וְהִיא סוּכַּת דָּוִד הַנּוֹפֶלֶת עַד עָפָר, וּכְמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״גָּלוּ לֶאֱדוֹם שְׁכִינָה עִמָּהֶם כוּ׳״, כִּי בְּאִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְתַתָּא – ״לְהַחֲיוֹת רוּחַ שְׁפָלִים״ דְּ״לֵית לֵיהּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם״ – אִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְעֵילָּא, וּבִפְרָט בְּהִתְנַדֵּב עָם לְהַחֲיוֹת יוֹשְׁבֵי אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים מַמָּשׁ, וְדַי לַמֵּבִין.

6Now, besides that, R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, explained well this reason and motive [“In order to refine the soul by means of the quantitative action”], there is an explicit verse in Scripture that “The effect of tzedakah is for life.”¹⁵ This means its effect and affection is to elicit supreme life from the Fountainhead of life,¹⁶ the En Sof, blessed is He, to the Land of Life,¹⁷ the Abode (Shechinah) of our strength,¹⁸ of which it is said¹⁹ “And You animate them all.”²⁰ It²¹ is the hut of David that has fallen²² down to the very dust, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory:²³ “When they were exiled to Edom, the Shechinah went with them….” (This effect of tzedakah is brought about) because the arousal from below, to revive the spirit of the humbled who has nothing at all of his own,²⁴ elicits an arousal from above; and especially so when the people offer voluntarily to sustain the inhabitants of the actual Land of Life,²⁵ and suffice this for the initiated.

זוְכָל מַשְׂכִּיל עַל דָּבָר גָּדוֹל וְנִפְלָא כָּזֶה יִמְצָא טוּב טַעַם וָדַעַת, כַּמָּה גְדוֹלִים דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ: ״הַכֹּל לְפִי רוֹב הַמַּעֲשֶׂה״, דְּהַיְינוּ מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה הַנַּעֲשֶׂה בִּפְעָמִים רַבּוֹת, לְהַמְשִׁיךְ חַיִּים עֶלְיוֹנִים, לְיַחֵד יִחוּד עֶלְיוֹן פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת.

7Now, whoever is enlightened as to so great and wondrous a matter will find to the best of discernment and knowledge how profound are the words of the Sages, of blessed memory, when they said “Everything according to the quantity of the act.” This refers to the act of charity, which is performed at numerous times to elicit supreme life in order to bring about a supreme unification (yichud) many times.

חוְהַיְינוּ נַמֵי כְּעֵין מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הָרַמְבַּ״ם: לְזַכֵּךְ הַנֶּפֶשׁ, כַּנּוֹדָע מִזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ דִּשְׁכִינָה נִקְרֵאת ״נֶפֶשׁ״, כִּי הִיא חַיֵּינוּ וְנַפְשֵׁנוּ, וּכְתִיב: ״כִּי שָׁחָה לֶעָפָר נַפְשֵׁנוּ״. וְלָכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״גְּדוֹלָה צְדָקָה, שֶׁמְּקָרֶבֶת אֶת הַגְּאוּלָּה״, לַהֲקִימָהּ מֵעָפָר מְעַט מְעַט, ״עַד כִּי יָבֹא שִׁילֹה״:

8This is also similar to what R. Moses Maimonides wrote “to refine the soul,” as is known from the sacred Zohar that the Shechinah is called nefesh (soul)²⁶—because she is our life and our soul. And it is written:²⁷ “Our soul is bent low, to the dust.”²⁸ And that is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Great is charity, for it brings close the redemption”²⁹—to raise (the Shechinah) from the dust, gradually,³⁰ “until Shilo will come.”³¹

91 Par. Job 29:22 and Deuteronomy 32:2.

102 Par. Judges 5:9.

113 Cf. above, Epistles 14 and 17.

124 Cf. Makkot 23a: Sifrei, Numbers, sect. 1.

135 See Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 203; cf. Likkutei Torah, Matot 82b.

146 Nazir 22b; Bava Kama 38b, etc.; see below, note 10.

157 The binding of Isaac for sacrificial purposes (Genesis 22).

168 Genesis 22:2.

179 See Genesis 22:3 and Midrashim, ad loc.

1810 Pesachim 4a; Rosh Hashanah 32b; etc.

1911 Cf. Peah 1:1; see above, beg. of Epistle 17.

2012 Proverbs 10:2; see Rosh Hashanah 16b and Zohar I:104a.

2113 Rosh Hashanah 16a.

2214 Avot 3:15; see The Art of Giving (Kehot 2014), pp. 24-26 ff.

2315 See Proverbs 10:16 and 11:19.

2416 Lit., Life of life; see above, Epistle 17, note 4.

2517 See above, Epistle 8, note 46.

2618 Ibid., note 36.

2719 Nehemiah 9:6.

2820 See above, Epistle 14, and note 29, ad loc.

2921 The Land of Life, the Shechinah.

3022 See above, Epistle 9, notes 27 ff.

3123 Megillah 29a (v.s. of Eyn Yaakov, ad loc.); Mechilta on Exodus 12:41; see below, Epistle 25, note 48.—Cf. Likkutei Amarim, Part I, end of ch. 17.

3224 The “poor who has nothing of his own” corresponds to the Shechinah, the sefirah of malchut—which has “nothing of its own but what is given to it by others” (cf. Zohar I:249b; Etz Chaim 6:5 and 8:5; et passim). See Zohar III:113b.

3325 I.e., the terrestrial Land of Life, the Land of Israel; see above, Epistle 8, note 45.

3426 Cf. Zohar Chadash, Rut 84a; 78c; et passim.

3527 Psalms 44:26.

3628 Cf. above (note 22), and see Midrash Tehillim 44:2.

3729 Bava Batra 10a.

3830 See Jerusalem Talmud, Yoma 3:2.

3931 Genesis 49:7.

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