Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

לִשְׁלֹמֹה אֱלֹהִים מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְמֶלֶךְ תֵּן וְצִדְקָתְךָ לְבֶן־מֶלֶךְ׃

“Of Solomon. O Gd, grant Your judgments to the king, and Your righteousness to the king’s son.”

יָדִין עַמְּךָ בְצֶדֶק וַעֲנִיֶּיךָ בְמִשְׁפָּט׃

“May he judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.”

Why Does Hashem Create Economic Inequality?

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, commenting on Tehillim 72:2, draws attention to the expression וַעֲנִיֶּיךָ — “Your poor.”

Why are the poor described as belonging to Hashem?

Rav Hirsch explains that poverty can be part of Divine Providence. Hashem created a world in which people possess different levels of wealth and resources.

He makes a remarkable observation:

If all people were economically equal, there would be no opportunity for tzedakah in this world.

This reveals a deeper purpose behind the unequal distribution of wealth. Money is not given to a person exclusively for personal enjoyment or accumulation. It also creates the opportunity and responsibility to help others.

The wealthy person is entrusted with resources, while the poor person provides the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvos of tzedakah and chesed.

Wealth is therefore not merely a privilege. It is also a responsibility and a test.

Two Different Kinds of Poverty

Rav Hirsch makes an important distinction in verse 4, where Dovid HaMelech uses the expression עֲנִיֵּי עָם — “the poor of the nation.”

Unlike “Your poor” in verse 2, whose circumstances are understood through Divine Providence, “the poor of the nation” refers to poverty caused by society’s disregard for human rights and its responsibilities toward fellow human beings.

Poverty resulting from injustice, exploitation, or neglect is not something society may simply accept. It must be corrected.

This distinction is fundamental: recognizing Divine Providence does not relieve human beings of their obligations toward the poor.

The Purpose of Money

The deeper lesson is that Hashem did not create wealth merely for individuals to accumulate possessions and enjoy material comfort.

Wealth gives a person the ability to become a giver, practice chesed, support others, and fulfill his obligations toward society.

Economic inequality creates the opportunity for tzedakah, but it never excuses indifference toward suffering or injustice.

The true measure of wealth is not simply how much a person possesses, but what he accomplishes with what Hashem has entrusted to him.

This is the relationship between mishpat and tzedakah in the opening verses of Tehillim 72: justice must govern society, while righteousness must guide the use of wealth.

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Source: Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, commentary to Tehillim 72:2 and 72:4. The discussion of wealth as a responsibility and test develops the implications of his commentary.