Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

A person must understand that there are other needy people in the world besides himself. The Torah set up two kinds of obligations. One is to give from what comes in — from the income, the grain, the harvest. But that is not enough. He is also obligated to give from what he spends.

When a man gathers grain for his needs, he must remember that just as Hashem gave him what to live on, there are others in the world who also have needs. This is why we have תרומות ומעשרות, and also חלה.

You might think: “But I already gave from my income. I set aside maaser. Isn’t that enough?” We tell him: no. From what came in, yes, but he must also give from what he spends. Every time he lays out money, it is as though he makes a new calculation, a new responsibility. He cannot say, “I already gave.” Each expense carries with it a reminder: there is another man who has expenses too.

This is why חלה is unique. When you bake bread for your household, when you spend money for your own table, from that very act you must remember to separate a piece — to give away. Not just once a year, not just from the general income, but again and again, from the very spending.

Sometimes, a man will say: “I gave money already, why should I give again?” The Torah teaches him: you are not free from this. Even if you gave from your income, you still need to give from your grain, from your dough, from your expenses.

This way of giving is sharper, because it touches what a person feels directly. It comes at the very moment of spending, when he senses the burden of expense. And precisely because he feels it, that is where blessing is promised.

The נביא says:

“רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם תִּתְּנוּ לַכֹּהֵן לְהָנִיחַ בְּרָכָה אֶל תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ”
(יחזקאל מ”ד:ל׳)

— “The first of your dough you shall give to the kohen, to bring blessing into your home.”

Notice: not just a blessing in general, but a blessing brought into your home, to remain there as security.

And the reverse is also true. In the Gemara (שבת ל״ב ע״ב) it says:

“על מעשרין רעבון של בצורת, ועל תרומות רעבון של מהומה, ועל חלה רעבון של כליה”

— “For withholding maasros comes a famine of drought; for withholding terumos comes a famine of confusion; and for withholding challah comes a famine of destruction.”

Why? Because this is a failure not only to give from income, but to give from expenses — from what you cannot deny that you have in your hand.

A man may spend for himself on a good house, a fine car, a large expense he never planned, more than he even dreamed — and sometimes even go into debt. Yet at that very moment, he must remember: just as he has expenses, the poor man has expenses too. From every such outlay, a portion belongs to others.

That is the purpose of חלה, taught in the פרשה we read on Shabbos. From every spending, a piece is taken for Hashem, for the kohen, for the needy. And for this, the reward is even greater than that for תרומות ומעשרות. Because this giving comes not from surplus, but from the very heart of one’s needs.

So the Torah trains a person: do not only think of yourself. Each time you spend, you are reminded that there are others in the world who also have needs. By giving even from what you spend, you ensure blessing not just for the world, but “לְהָנִיחַ בְּרָכָה אֶל תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ” — into your own home.