Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

Chapter 1: The World Was Not Created Incomplete
1. The Torah in Book of Genesis presents a world that is already complete. Trees bear fruit. Animals are fully mature. Rivers, seas, and ecosystems function perfectly. Everything necessary exists. It is called “very good.”
2. Yet perfection in structure is not the same as perfection in purpose. Human beings, though created last, were not complete in their mission. Their purpose — connection to Hashem — had yet to begin.
Chapter 2: One Being, Not One Male
3. “Male and female He created them” describes a single human organism containing both male and female elements. Chazal in Talmud explain that the first human was a unified being and only later separated.
4. So when the Torah says, “It is not good for man to be alone,” it does not mean Adam lacked companionship. It means he was undivided, containing both male and female elements. Unity existed — effortless and untested. But effort is essential for growth.
Chapter 3: Separation as the Beginning of Greatness
5. Hashem separates the human being into man and woman. Now there are two bodies, two perspectives, two wills. Each feels incompleteness. Each must move toward the other, restrain ego, and give.
6. Originally, unity was natural. After separation, unity must be chosen. That choice is the higher form of unity. Marriage is not companionship alone; it is the deliberate rebuilding of the original oneness through effort, discipline, and shared purpose.
Chapter 4: The Tree, Love, and the Order of Giving
7. A. The command regarding the Tree was absolute: it was forbidden.
8. B. The Torah emphasizes the sequence: she took for herself first, then gave to Adam. The first movement was toward self, revealing the fracture at the root — self before covenant.
9. C. As Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler teaches, love is giving, not taking. Attachment grows from what one gives; taking feeds desire and separation.
10. D. Even if she thought engagement with the Tree would bring elevation, the act should have been outward first — toward Adam — not inward toward herself.
11. E. The mistake was not only disobedience but inversion of priorities: self before relationship, autonomy before submission, taking before giving. Unity — marital or spiritual — is built through giving first. The first movement toward the other strengthens bond; self-prioritization fractures it.
Chapter 5: The Work of Rebuilding Unity
12. Marriage is the arena where the fracture is repaired. Unity now requires: giving before taking, restraining impulse, thinking in terms of “we” instead of “me,” and submitting both wills to a higher purpose.
13. A house built around Torah creates a shared orbit. Two strong individuals do not merge by losing identity but by harmonizing direction. The secret of lasting union is disciplined generosity and placing the other first.
Chapter 6: Children as the Fruit of Unity
14. Children are the natural extension of union. They embody shared life and shared future, and they strengthen responsibility and vision.
15. But children are fruit, not foundation. The root of unity lies in covenantal alignment — two people deliberately orienting themselves together under Hashem. Children deepen unity; they do not create it.
Chapter 7: When There Are No Children
16. Even without children, the purpose of marriage remains. Two people can achieve unity in direction, vision, and moral discipline. They restore the original unity of the first human being spiritually, if not biologically.
17. Perfection is not fusion of bodies but fusion of purpose. Loyalty, restraint, gratitude, and shared avodah allow two distinct individuals to walk in one direction, fulfilling the human design.
Chapter 8: The Purpose of Creation
18. Creation began with unity. Separation introduced distance. Marriage rebuilds unity through effort. Children extend it. Torah directs it.
19. The ultimate goal is not merely reunion but alignment with Hashem. Two wills disciplined into one shared will, under Divine command. Remaining separate yet bonded, walking as one, connecting upward — that is the purpose for which the world was created.
20. The separation itself serves a higher purpose: it is the framework for reward in the world to come. When man fulfills the dictates of the Torah and follows the guidelines Hashem gave the Jewish people — through Moshe, the commandments, and tradition — children are a blessing. Yet even when children are not granted, a person’s task is not diminished. The work of perfecting oneself and achieving unity with one’s spouse remains central. Unity is built through giving, through restraint, and through shared alignment toward Hashem.
21. This union is not merely personal. It models something universal: it points to the One Creator. The world may appear divided — races, nations, trees, elements, and creatures seem distinct — but all originate from a single source. The unity of husband and wife, disciplined, purposeful, and oriented toward Hashem, is a microcosm of the unity of all creation.
22. Through conscious unity and giving, human beings demonstrate and reveal that ultimate truth: that everything — diversity and structure alike — flows from one Creator, and the purpose of life is to align with that singular source through love, covenant, and effort.

Rabbi Hirsch explains that the cherubim atop the Ark were not decorative figures or abstract symbols. They conveyed a concrete truth about Torah, protection, responsibility, and Jewish survival.
From their first appearance in Bereishis, cherubim serve as guardians, standing at the entrance to the Tree of Life. In the Prophets and Tehillim, they are described as bearers of God’s glory. They protect, and they carry. Rabbi Hirsch shows that in the Mishkan these two roles are combined.
The Torah describes the cherubim spreading their wings upward while shielding the kapores, the Ark-cover. Their wings form a protective covering. Their faces are turned toward one another, yet directed toward the cover. At the same time, their wings are raised upward — suggesting that they bear something resting above them: the unseen presence of God’s glory. The guarding can be seen. What they carry cannot. God’s presence is not visible, yet it rests there.
Notably, the cherubim do not guard the Tablets directly. They guard the kapores. The cover protects the Testimony, and the cherubim emerge from that very cover. Rabbi Hirsch draws a demanding conclusion: when a person safeguards and fulfills the Torah, that very commitment becomes his protection. The one who guards the Torah becomes, in effect, his own cherub. Through loyalty to Torah, a Jew both shields himself and becomes a bearer of God’s presence in the world.
Rabbi Hirsch is making a practical claim. Torah observance is not symbolic loyalty; it shapes reality. Each act of study, discipline, and obedience strengthens Israel’s survival and welfare. The intellectual and moral effort invested in Torah becomes the force that preserves the nation and allows God’s nearness to dwell among them.
Why, then, are there two cherubim?
Because Torah life is never one-dimensional. The Tablets were two. The Ark was built from two materials. Safeguarding Torah has two essential aspects: understanding and action. And the cherubim face one another while guarding the Ark. Rabbi Hirsch explains that this teaches mutual responsibility. Commitment to God cannot be separated from responsibility toward fellow Jews. While guarding the Torah, they look at each other.
The Ark and its cherubim deliver a clear message: strength, firmness, and unwavering dedication to Torah bring protection, blessing, and God’s nearness. Survival is secured not merely through strategy or power, but through fidelity to Torah — in thought, in action, and in unity.

The Gemara (בבא בתרא ט:) tells us, “Tzedakah is greater than all of the Korbanos (offerings), and through it one merits righteous children.” The Rambam (הלכות מתנות עניים, פרק י’) writes that one must be more careful with the mitzvah of tzedakah than any other positive commandment.
Hashem promises that whoever gives maaser will merit great wealth and eternal blessings. The Mishnah (אבות ד:א) teaches: “Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot.” The mitzvah of giving maaser is conducive to raising the person to a level where he is satisfied with what he has.
However, by giving maaser, one definitely can become wealthy in the literal sense as well. The Rebbe Reb Zusha explains (עיין מאור עינים סוף פ’ ואתחנן) that when a person gives maaser, he demonstrates that he believes that it is Hashem Who is supporting him, and not his wealth. On the other hand, when a person does not give maaser, he makes a statement that he believes that it is his money that supports him and that is why it is hard for him to part with his money. When a person trusts in Hashem to support him, he definitely is blessed with the opportunity to earn endless wealth, whereas when a person places his trust in his money, his wealth and livelihood will be limited.
The Kedushas Levi (פרשת ראה) says similarly that when a person separates part of his wealth and designates it for tzedakah, he not only sanctifies the actual funds earmarked for tzedakah, but he also elevates the status of the money left over for himself. Before taking maaser, the money was merely his money, the product of his toil and effort. By separating a charitable portion for Hashem, he demonstrates that everything is a present from Hashem, and that even the money which remains for his personal use is truly a gift from Hashem.
Although there are many situations in which one is exempt from giving maaser, the Steipler Gaon taught that he is still advised to give maaser, for three reasons. First, it will train the entire family in the importance of giving maaser. Second, tithing his money will spare him from having to spend on other areas, such as doctors. As the Midrash says, “A door which does not open for the poor opens for doctors.” Third, one never loses from giving maaser in any event. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 331:146) teaches: “No one ever became poor from giving tzedakah. Nothing bad has ever occurred as a result.”
Rav Chaim Volozhiner zt”l was careful to give a tenth (perhaps even a fifth) of his money to charity. Once, he was uncertain whether he had fulfilled his obligation. He decided to be lenient with himself at that time and not give again immediately.
Shortly afterward, the family’s bucket fell into the well. When they attempted to retrieve it with an axe, the axe also fell in. Rav Chaim calculated the total loss and realized that it was exactly the amount about which he had been in doubt regarding maaser. He immediately gave that amount to tzedakah. Shortly afterward, the bucket and the axe were retrieved from the well.
We see that refraining from giving maaser only results in money being lost in other ways.

First, it will train the entire family in the importance of giving maaser.

Second, tithing his money will spare him from having to spend on other areas, such as doctors. As the Midrash says, “A door which does not open for the poor opens for doctors.”

Third, one never loses from giving maaser in any event.

*The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 331:146) teaches: “No one ever became poor from giving tzedakah. Nothing bad has ever occurred as a result.”

Rav Chaim Volozhiner zt”l was careful to give a tenth (perhaps even a fifth) of his money to charity. Once, he was uncertain whether he had fulfilled his obligation. He decided to be lenient with himself at that time and not give again immediately.
Shortly afterward, the family’s bucket fell into the well. When they attempted to retrieve it with an axe, the axe also fell in. Rav Chaim calculated the total loss and realized that it was exactly the amount about which he had been in doubt regarding maaser. He immediately gave that amount to tzedakah. Shortly afterward, the bucket and the axe were retrieved from the well.
We see that refraining from giving maaser only results in money being lost in other ways.

Rema ( Yore Deah 331:146) is puzzled by the fact that Shulchan Aruch makes no mention of the halachos of separating master. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt’l  commented that since there is no section of the Shulchan Aruch exclusively devoted to these, it’s difficult to render clear ruling on the subject.

The relationship between God and Israel, established through the giving of the Law by God and its acceptance by Israel — is the context within which the significance of the Tabernacle as a whole and in its parts is to be sought and found. This significance explains why the chapters on the construction of the Tabernacle follow the chapters containing the fundamental principles of the Law and the covenant established on the basis of the Law.
If the construction of the מקדש־משכן is considered from this perspective, the materials to be donated for this construction signify the factors through which the consecration of life is to be realized, and the factors by which God’s sanctifying and blessed closeness is to be recognized. For it is from God that we first received these materials, with which we are to demonstrate our devotion to God, and by donating them we will get them back with a twofold blessing. As Yaakov said, when he laid the cornerstone and first foundation for the first House of God: וכל אשר תתן לי עשר אעשרנו לך (Bereshis 28:22). King David, when preparing for the building of the First Temple, expressed the same idea even more explicitly: כי ממך הכל ומידך נתנו לך (Divrei Ha-Yamim I, 29:14).
And just now the people were made aware of this idea — most succinctly but comprehensively — by the throwing of half of the blood of the covenant onto the altar and half toward the people (above, 24:6 and 8).
In Collected Writings, vol. III, pp. 169–173, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt”l showed that metals, because of their hardness, appear in תנ״ך as metaphors for firmness and strength (e.g., Yirmeyahu 1:18; Iyov 6:12; Yeshayahu 48:4). Because of their value, they appear as symbols of the value attached to spiritual assets (e.g., Mishlei 2:4; Tehillim 19:11; Iyov 28). But especially because of their metallurgical properties, they appear as symbols of all that is good and true in “alloys” containing various degrees of evil and falsehood, and as metaphors for the process of testing and refinement associated with truth and morality (e.g., Iyov 23:10; Zecharyah 13:9; Malachi 3:3; Mishlei 17:3; Yeshayahu 48:10; Mishlei 25:4; 10:20; 26:23; Yirmeyahu 6:29–30; Tehillim 119:119; Yechezkel 22:18; Yeshayahu 1:22; Daniyel 2:32–33). In all these passages, metals symbolize various degrees of moral purity and truth. Copper represents an ignoble nature, not yet refined. Silver signifies the stage of requiring purification and being amenable to refinement. Gold, which is usually found in unalloyed form and which can withstand the most rigorous tests, is a symbol of the purest and most refined moral nobility and of true and unfailing constancy.

This is the model for life.
Giving something back to Hashem from what He first gave you is not charity in the ordinary sense. It is recognition of reality. Nothing is truly yours. Your life was given to you. You did not purchase yourself. You did not create yourself. You did not design your mind, your talents, your health, your family, or the opportunities placed before you. Someone placed you on the trajectory that allowed you to receive what you now possess.
Whether a person is blessed with a brilliant mind, significant wealth, inherited assets, strong health, or even just the simple daily necessities that sustain ordinary life — all of it is a gift from God.
Truma and tzedakah are not losses. They are acknowledgments. They declare: “This was never mine to begin with.”
And that is why Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt”l speaks of a twofold blessing. When a person gives from what was entrusted to him, he receives it back refined. Elevated. Strengthened. Just as metals are purified through fire, so too a person’s possessions and abilities become purified through proper giving.
כי ממך הכל ומידך נתנו לך.
From You is everything, and from Your hand we give back to You.

וגר לא תונה וגר לא תלחצנו כי גרים הייתם בארץ מצרים
is closely connected with the thought expressed in the preceding verse. There it says that even a native-born Jew of the purest descent forfeits his life amidst the Jewish national community as soon as he departs, in the slightest degree, from the pure basic principle of Jewish worship of God. By contrast, here it says that one who was born a heathen is entitled to complete equality and full rights among Jews under Jewish law from the moment he joins the Jewish fold by accepting the basic principles of Judaism and Jewish worship.
The connection between these two verses marks the great principle, frequently reiterated in Scripture, that personal and civil rights, and personal worth, do not depend on descent, place of birth, or property ownership, nor do they depend on any external, incidental factor that bears no relationship to the individual’s true character. Rather, they depend solely on the individual’s moral and spiritual qualities.
The distinctive rationale כי גרים הייתם בארץ מצרים serves to safeguard this principle against any violation. For the meaning of this rationale is not the same as that of וזכרת כי עבד היית (below, 23:9). Rather, here it says simply and absolutely: כי גרים הייתם. Your whole misfortune in Egypt was that you were גרים there, and that as such, in the view of the other nations, you were not entitled to land, homeland, or existence there, and they could do with you as they pleased. As גרים you were without any rights in Egypt; this led to your עבדות (enslavement) and to your עינוי (affliction). Therefore we are warned: When you have a state of your own, do not make human rights dependent on anything other than the pure humanity inherent in every person. Any deprivation of human rights will open the door to all the abominations of tyranny and abuse that were practiced in Egypt.
גר stems from the root גרה, which is phonetically related to ינה (“to humble,” “to humiliate”), to כנה (“to call something by an incorrect name”), to the Rabbinic term גנה (“to vilify”), and perhaps also to קנה (“to bring under one’s control,” “to acquire”). The root גרה, then, means to illegally deprive of material or spiritual possessions. Thus (a) to defraud in commerce, in purchase or sale, וכי תמכרו ממכר לעמיתך או קנה מיד עמיתך אל תונו איש את אחיו (Vayikra 25:14); (b) to hurt with words in social intercourse, אונאת דברים.
Accordingly, וגר לא תונה would seem to mean: Do not wrong the stranger — neither by words nor by deeds. In Bava Metzia 58b, however, our verse is taken to refer to אונאת דברים. Below, on verses 21–22, which are closely related to our verse, we shall have to focus on the fluctuation between the singular and the plural form of address.

Pleasure and Asceticism
People who don’t understand Chovos Halevavos interpret this as an encouragement of strict asceticism and total rejection of the world. They find that difficult to deal with. But their interpretation is mistaken. What Chovos Halevavos wants you to do is reject becoming intoxicated by the pleasures of This World. However, these pleasures serve a very important purpose in your life, as long as you place them within the context of your service to Hashem. Always remember your priorities.
For example, Chovos Halevavos doesn’t want a person to feel that the bread he eats is tasteless, without pleasure. When he walks in the street and he sees the sunlight, he should not think it’s nothing. On the contrary, as was explained in Shaar Habechinah, the true servant of Hashem sees the kindness in everything. He sees how Hashem has put wisdom and kindness into all forms of material existence. As it says, *His greatness and His goodness fill the world.*³²³
So when he eats whatever he eats, he certainly enjoys it and he thanks Hashem that it’s so pleasant to eat food. There is no question about that. So what is Chovos Halevavos trying to tell us with his discussion of abstinence?
Chovos Halevavos is teaching that a person should never become overly enthusiastic about any material aspect of his existence. For example, he should never go overboard about the function of eating. He should not fall in love with nature. True, he should see in nature and in the bread that he eats all the kindness of Hashem, but he shouldn’t become enthusiastic about anything that is only a means to an end.
Similarly, David Hamelech fought for the people of Yisrael, but it wasn’t because he loved war or he wanted to conquer other nations. He was a servant of Hashem. When people get into the spirit of military activities and become enthusiastic about the martial arts, it’s not called the service of Hashem. If people want to be authors and writers for the purpose of gaining renown, it’s not called the service of Hashem.
If a person has a family and becomes so enthusiastic about them that they are the center of his life, he ceases to be a servant of Hashem.
Hashem wants him to have a family and raise children devoted to His service, as it says, *I have acquired a man for Hashem.*³²⁴ But He doesn’t want a man’s family to be his whole life. Certainly a person should enjoy his children. That attitude is part of enjoying the kindness of Hashem, but he shouldn’t become like somesome people who live for their children. There are people who can’t live without their children. They are always traveling to see their children and be with them. That becomes their life.
Growth With Action
Family and Other Pleasures of Life
If you hear good news from your children out of town, you should be very happy and have nachas. But stay where you are; don’t travel back and forth and waste part of your life as if that’s your whole interest.
As much as you love your family, you should have other interests. You should be interested in your life as a servant of Hashem.
Now, where to draw the line is not so simple. You will need wisdom for that. There is certainly a clear-cut understanding that everyone should enjoy what Hashem gives him and appreciate it. However, nobody should become so enthusiastic that he loses himself in that pleasure and causes himself to forget that his purpose in life is to serve Hashem — even in the matter of nachas from children.
This is true even in the matter of eating. The more you enjoy your food, the more you should thank Hashem for it.
Growth With Action
Making Money
In light of the above, what should your attitude be to making money? As with your other interests, it should not be the central focus of your life.
However, you may put significant effort into making money if it is for the purpose of supporting yourself and fulfilling your obligations to your family and others who are dependent on you.
You are also justified in putting in effort to maintain your property and your wealth, even adding to it. The important thing is that you are doing it as a servant of Hashem. If Hashem gave you wealth, He was saying to you, “You’re My treasurer. I gave you so much wealth; see to it that it doesn’t get lost or dissipated.”
As a loyal treasurer, you are busy investing Hashem’s money and making more and more. That’s fine, as long as you remember it’s not yours. Don’t become overenthusiastic with what you have gained.
This is an important principle, and many people misunderstand it. When the author says “reject This World,” he means, reject all the things that people become intoxicated about.
Understanding Chovos Halevavos — Love of the World
Chovos Halevavos said above that a person “should remove his love of the world and his desire for it from his heart, and he should exchange it for the love of Hashem.”
What does this mean in light of what we have said here? All the pleasures and enthusiasms that people invest their energies in should be exchanged for a nobler version. They should use the same things as a tool to love Hashem, Who gave all this to you out of kindness.
So let’s say a man walks in the street and he sees it is a beautiful day, the wind is blowing, the sun is shining, all of nature is pleasant and happy — certainly he should enjoy it and thank Hashem for it.
He should thank Hashem for the pleasure that sunlight gives him. This means he should remember the blessing,³²⁵ Blessed are You, Hashem, Who fashions the luminaries.
He should thank Hashem for the pleasure of the wind while thinking of the words,³²⁶ He makes the wind blow and He makes the rain fall.
You have to appreciate everything that Hashem created. But there are people who get lost in their enthusiasm for nature. They yearn to go out in the woods and explore the mountains. They love nature so much, they spend days or sometimes weeks traveling.
These people are not servants of Hashem; they are slaves of gashmius (materialism).

A Jew  must understand that there are other needy people in the world. ( This is reference besides the charity that he was already given to the causes that are dear to him, idea is Reb. Mosha is trying to say that obligation of giving never stops as long as one takes for himself like laws of challa)
But we see that there are two types of obligations that the Torah established.
One of these is an obligation from income.
The other is not taken from income; it is not given from what he earns.
From the grain he gathers for his own needs.
He must reserve for his own sustenance.
From the grain he gathers for his needs.
He should recognize that just as Hashem provided for him.
But there is another obligation called challah.
In the world there are others who also have needs.
He must know that needy people exist in the world.
There are circumstances in which he is not obligated to give challah.
We know that a person is obligated to give both from what comes in and from what he spends.
Do you have what to eat? You are required to give away a portion to those in need.
But someone who has already given money from his income might think he is exempt from this.
We tell him that he is still not free from obligation.
He takes a portion from what he needs to sustain himself.
When an expense arises that requires his resources.
And he must share and give a portion to the poor or to the Kohanim.
The same principle applies to the consequences for someone who fails to give.
A good house, a fine car, an expense beyond what was planned, more than he ever imagined.
And he needs it for his necessities, whether for the year or for a moment, and sometimes a large expense appears.
And sometimes he even goes into debt for it; even then, he must immediately remember the poor.
This is the purpose of challah, which we learn from the current sedrah read on Shabbos.
When you spend more than you planned or set aside for the week or the month.
The Torah promises that these blessings will come אל בתיכם — into your home.
The reward mentioned for challah by the Navi in the Haftarah of Emor is even greater than the reward for giving from income, terumos, and maasros.
And even though you have given from what comes in, you must also give from your grain.
You must immediately think of the poor person who lacks for his own needs.
The Torah states that if someone neglects this obligation, there are various types of famine that will come into the world, including a רעב של כליה — famine of destruction — for challah.
Because you fail to give from what you spend, you are required also to give from your expenditures.
That is why this is more severe: the reward for someone who gives from what he spends, which he feels and senses, is greater.
You are paying, and you must give a larger portion to another from it, because it is felt as an expense.
But להניח ברכה אל תוך ביתך — to bring blessing into your home — means that it is set aside to remain as security.
When a person feels that he must give to the poor even though he has already given from what comes in.
This is more than a casual act; it is a significant blessing.
It is set aside so that it is brought into your home.
ראשית עריסותיכם תתנו לכהן להניח ברכה אל תוך ביתך — the first of your dough give challah to the Kohen to bring blessing into your home.
The same principle applies to the consequences for someone who does not give

(פסוק והביאור)
כ״ה. נַעַר הָיִיתִי גַּם זָקַנְתִּי —
וְלֹא רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק נֶעֱזָב, וְזַרְעוֹ מְבַקֵּשׁ לָחֶם.

25. “I have been a youth and also aged.”
Ibn Ezra and Radak attribute this statement to the Psalmist, who declares, “After experiencing all phases of life, from beginning to end, I am equipped to make the following observation.”
However, the Talmud (Yerushalmi 16b, quoted by Rashi) maintains that such a sweeping observation can be made only by one who can evaluate all of human history, not just one short lifetime. Accordingly, this observation was made by the chief of all angels, who is called שַׂר הָעוֹלָם, Officer of the World.
“But I have not seen a righteous man forsaken.”
Simply, this means he will not lack the barest essentials of life, such as food and clothing. Midrashically, Hashem does not forsake His people and leave them without righteous people. Every generation will have thirty righteous individuals
(Tanchuma, Parashas Mikeitz).
The verse does not say that no righteous man would ever be reduced to poverty; were that the case, it would equate poverty with wickedness — a patent falsehood. Rather, the verse means that no righteous person will be forsaken even if he must beg alms for his sustenance. Since Jews are obligated to help one another, it is no disgrace for one to require the help of another (R’ Hirsch). Below is from Radak:

נַעַר הָיִיתִי וְגַם זָקַנְתִּי,
וְלֹא רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק נֶעֱזָב,
וְזַרְעוֹ מְבַקֵּשׁ לָחֶם.
ורעו מבקש לחם: ולא דרשו שיבקש לחם על הפתחים. ורעו הבנים הקטנים שהניח אחריו לא יעזבם האל. יחברם, כוונתו, אף על פי שיבוא לו חסרון לא יבוא לו חסרון רע כמו שיבוא לרשע. ועוד: הוא שיחסר לו לחם ושמלה, וכך בקש יעקב אבינו (בראשית כח כ): ונתן לי לחם לאכול ובגד ללבוש, כלומר כדי חיותי לבד. ואמר לו האל, יחבר (שם טו): כי לא אעזבך; נראה כי מי שיחסר אלה נקרא נעזב.

Full Transcript of a 1981 Speech
A person must understand that there are other needy people in the world besides himself. The Torah established two kinds of obligations. One obligation is to give from what comes in — from income, from profit, from grain. But that is not enough. There is also an obligation to give from what a person spends.
When a man gathers grain for his own needs, he must recognize that just as Hashem provided for him, there are others in the world who also require provision. This is why the Torah commands תרומות ומעשרות, and beyond that, חלה.
A person might say: “I already gave from my income. I already separated maaser.” We answer him: from what came in — yes. But you are still obligated to give from what you spend. Each act of spending creates a renewed obligation. A person cannot exempt himself by saying that he already gave once. Every expense requires a new calculation and a renewed responsibility.
This is why חלה is unique. When bread is baked for one’s household, when money is spent for one’s own table, from that very act a portion must be separated. Not just once a year, and not only from surplus, but again and again, from the very act of spending.
Sometimes a person will say: “But I already gave money.” The Torah teaches him that he is not free from this obligation. Even if he gave from his income, he must still give from his grain, from his dough, from his expenses.
This type of giving is sharper and more difficult, because it is felt. It touches a person at the moment when he feels the burden of expense. And precisely because he feels it, that is where the Torah promises blessing.
The Navi says:
רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם תִּתְּנוּ לַכֹּהֵן לְהָנִיחַ בְּרָכָה אֶל תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ (יחזקאל מ״ד:ל׳)
This is not a general blessing. It is a blessing that is brought into the home, to remain there and to stay as security.
And the opposite is also true. Chazal say:
על מעשרין רעבון של בצורת, ועל תרומות רעבון של מהומה, ועל חלה רעבון של כליה (שבת ל״ב ע״ב)
For withholding maasros comes a famine of drought. For withholding terumos comes a famine of confusion. But for withholding challah comes a famine of destruction.
Why is the punishment for challah more severe? Because this is not a failure to give from what one claims he does not yet have. This is a failure to give from what one is actively using and consuming, from what is in his hand at that moment.
A person may spend on a good house, on a fine car, on a large expense he never planned, more than he even dreamed. Sometimes he even goes into debt for it. Yet at that very moment, he must know that just as he has expenses, the poor person also has expenses. From every outlay, a portion belongs to others.
This is the purpose of חלה, which we learn from the parsha that we read. From every spending, something is taken for Hashem, for the kohen, and for the needy.
For this reason, the reward for challah is even greater than the reward for giving from income, for תרומות ומעשרות. Because this giving does not come from surplus. It comes from what a person needs for himself.
This teaching changes how a person understands limits such as one-fifth. The limitation applies to giving from income. But giving from expenditure is not a matter of generosity beyond obligation. It is obligation itself.
Through this system, the Torah trains a person not to live enclosed within himself. Each time he spends, he is reminded that there are others in the world who also have needs. And through this, blessing is brought not only to the world, but into his own home —
לְהָנִיחַ בְּרָכָה אֶל תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ.

“When a person feels that he must give to the poor even though he has already given from what comes in,”
“This is more than a casual act; it is a significant blessing.”
“It is set aside so that it is brought into your home.”
“ראשית עריסותיכם תתנו לכהן להניח ברכה אל תוך ביתך — ‘The first of your dough, give challah to the Kohen to bring blessing into your home.’”
“The same principle applies to the consequences for someone who does not give.”

The methods of acquiring humility, and the way this is made easier for a person, consist in keeping one’s thought and imagination focused on seven points.
1. Reflect on Human Origin and Physical Reality
A person begins as a drop of semen and blood, later becoming putrid and foul. He is sustained by impure blood in the womb, is born weak and fragile, grows gradually, reaches maturity, then declines into old age and death.
A sage said:
“I wonder how a creature that has passed twice through passageways of urine and blood can become proud and arrogant.”
Reflection on this reality leads naturally to humility, as Scripture states:
“O God, what is man, that You should care about him?”
“Man born of woman…”
“But I am like a worm, not a man.”
“How much less man, a maggot… a worm.”
Summary:
You came from filth, you live by decay, and you end in rot. Pride here is delusion.
2. Reflect on Human Frailty and Suffering
Man is constantly subject to hunger, thirst, heat, cold, illness, misfortune, and anxiety—with no true escape except death. He lacks the intelligence and power to protect himself from these afflictions.
A person who grasps this realizes he is not like a prisoner—he is a prisoner, entirely dependent on his Master’s will.
Scripture says:
“May the cry of the prisoner come before You.”
“Take me out of prison…”
Summary:
You are not in control. You are confined, dependent, and powerless without Divine mercy.
3. Reflect on Death and Bodily Decay
Death comes swiftly. All hopes are cut off. No possessions can be taken along. The body darkens, decays, becomes worm-infested, foul-smelling, and repulsive.
These thoughts humble a person and prevent arrogance, as Scripture says:
“Forget about man, whose breath is in his nostrils.”
“Human beings are mere breath… they weigh less than a breath.”
Summary:
Your beauty, success, and status expire quickly—and end in decomposition.
4. Reflect on One’s Obligation and Failure Before God
A person must consider the immense kindness God bestows upon him and how poorly he repays it—through neglect, incomplete observance, and excuses that will not stand on the Day of Reckoning.
On that day, arrogance is crushed, as Scripture warns:
“The day is coming, burning like an oven…”
“Who can endure the day of His coming?”
Summary:
You owe everything. You have paid back little. Judgment is unavoidable.
5. Contemplate the Greatness of the Creator
One acquires humility by contemplating the immense power of the Creator and comparing oneself to the universe: mankind, the earth, the heavens, and the cosmic order.
Prophets, sages, angels—all collapse in awe before Him. Even angels prostrate themselves before God.
Scripture states:
“How great are Your works, O God.”
“All the nations are as nothing before Him.”
“What is man that You should be mindful of him?”
Summary:
Against infinity, you are negligible. Awareness of scale destroys arrogance.
6. Study the Fate of the Proud and the Humble
By reading the words of the prophets, one sees that pride leads to destruction, while humility brings Divine closeness and protection.
Scripture teaches:
“The prideful eyes of man will be lowered.”
“God strengthens the humble.”
“Before disaster comes arrogance.”
Summary:
Pride ends badly. Always. History is consistent on this point.
7. Observe the Rise and Fall of Nations and People
Kingdoms vanish. Governments collapse. People are displaced. One nation replaces another. In the end, all die.
As Scripture says:
“Like sheep they are herded to the grave.”
Summary:
Power, wealth, and dominance are temporary illusions. Death levels everything.
Final Bottom Line
Humility is not a personality trait—it is clarity.
Anyone who thinks straight about origin, weakness, death, obligation, Divine greatness, history, and judgment cannot remain arrogant.
Arrogance survives only where memory is short and imagination is dishonest.