I have seen, my brother, an excellent literary piece on the subject of abstinence. It was composed by one of the pious as a charge to his son. I think highly of it and have chosen to close this gate with it. I present it to you just as I found it. May it serve you instead of my own admonition and guidance. Understand it and reflect upon it, and with Gd’s help you will attain to what is good and right.
It reads as follows:
“My son, may Gd set you among those who hear and listen, listen and reflect, reflect and know, know and act.
“May He not set you among those who sink in error, drunk with the wine of ignorance; who are enslaved by instinct, ruled by this world, overcome by desires which engross them in pleasures; those who are driven by obsessions and seduced by lust. In darkness they trip and fall, trapped in the routine of their error.
“They hear but do not listen; they speak but do not act. They long for ease but end up sighing in distress. They seek pleasures but are seized with severe suffering. Their souls are weary, their bodies are tired, their intellects are neutralized, and their powers of understanding are shattered.
“They collect gold, which will be lost, and silver, which will be relinquished, and they leave them to enemies or to unfaithful women. They finish palatial residences and dwell in graves. They build homes they will not live in and accumulate wealth they will not spend.
“Each of them buries his father and his child and yet fails to perform deeds of lasting value. Each is oblivious to his end and mindful only of his desires. What can be said for a middle that has lost its two ends, for the solitary individual whose parents have abandoned him?
“My son, think of an individual endowed by the Creator with vast understanding and mastery over his own mind, an individual enlightened as to his own good by the Creator, Who shows him the right way and draws him to it.
“People feel secure with him, and he feels secure with them. He is on good terms with them and is spared harm from them.
“While others serve their base instincts, he serves the Gd of heaven and earth, Who brings life and puts to death, Who creates and provides, beside Whom there is no other.
“What a difference there is between people who follow base instinct and people whose inner lives are refined, whose innermost beings are pure, whose eyes are serene, and whose hearts are full of trust; who delight in remembering Gd when alone and express thanks for His goodness in every situation.
“They devote themselves to all areas of speculation — theoretical, mathematical, and theological — and cut through the veil that keeps one from seeing the ways of inwardness. Through hard work they arrive at the serenity of truth, forsaking comfort for true delights.
“They are not distracted by desires and do not delay because death appears far off. They proceed eagerly toward the day of death, while remaining wary of what will follow it.
“They are Gd’s honored guests, who eagerly seek Him, wait for Him, and serve Him. They speak the truth and call for justice, without fear of a ruler or dominion by an adversary.
“They are the noblest of men and more vigilant than any other people, the most honorable and the greatest of them all. They are honored in the houses of Gd and esteemed in the sight of His creatures.
“Nothing can distract them from remembering Gd, and nothing can deter them from offering thanks to Him. Their tongues are fluent in songs of praise and thanksgiving; their hearts are filled with sincerity toward Gd and total commitment to the idea that Gd is one.
“This world puts up a facade before them, but they recognize its true face. They stride through it and depict it to others. Its treachery is not hidden from them, and its deceit is not concealed from them.
“This world puts on its best clothes before them, but they consider it bare. It shows itself as though it were yielding to them, but they realize that it is under control. It smiles at them, but they glare back at it. It wishes to attract them, but they turn away from it.
“They observe its evil deeds, and the shameful character of its acts becomes clear to them. It has no control over them nor any means of drawing close to them.
“They are Gd’s chosen and pure ones, the elite of the devout, men of clear vision, noble aspirations, and pleasing endeavors.
“They stride toward Gd and are guided, trade with Him and profit, refine their inner lives and are refined, purify their hearts and become the elect.
“They arm themselves with reverence on the dangerous road and are saved. Riding chariots of good deeds, they reach their destination, where they meet with abiding joy and unfailing elation.
“They pass the test of reckoning and are safe from suffering.
“Therefore, my son, choose what is good for your soul before the onset of remorse that will not help and worry that will not end.”
May Gd, in His mercy and abounding kindness, show us — and you too — the right way and steer us to the path of happiness. Amen.
The Ninth Gate is completed,
a song of praise to Gd, may He be exalted.
-
-
Chapter 4 — Divine Assistance, Obstacles, and Judgment
Reason for what happens to an individual in this world, based on justice and recompense. The Highest Judge decreed that each individual’s deeds themselves result in God’s helping him, simplifying his task of achieving perfection and protecting him from possible stumbling blocks. This is the meaning of the verse (I Shmuel 2:9):
“[God] guards the feet of His pious ones.”
Even with regard to this, however, there are many degrees. True judgment may determine that God should help one individual just a little because of his previous deeds. The judgment of another individual may be that he should be helped more and that his attainment of perfection be made much easier. Still another may be worthy of the greatest possible help.
The same is true in the opposite case. Strict justice may require that one individual not be given any Divine help at all, but at the same time the attainment of perfection is not made any more difficult for him. In the case of another individual, the judgment may be that many barriers be placed in his path, making him need much effort and struggle to attain any perfection. Yet another person may be so wicked that all paths are closed off for him, so that he is totally cast aside in his wickedness.
Many other details can also come into play. Thus, when an individual is worthy, it may be decreed that he be successful in this world in order to help him serve God. All obstacles are then removed, making it much easier for him to attain the desired perfection.
As a result of his deeds, on the other hand, it may be decreed that losses and suffering confront him, making perfection all the more difficult to attain. In such a case overcoming these obstacles will require much struggle and effort, which he must then undertake to ultimately attain perfection.
This is also true of the wicked individual. It is possible that success be granted to him, opening the way of destruction through which he will ultimately be cast aside. It is also possible, however, that he be decreed to suffer, preventing him from fulfilling his evil intentions.
This often happens when the Highest Ruler decrees that for various reasons certain wicked acts not be accomplished. It is with regard to such a situation that David prayed (Tehillim 140:9):
“Grant not, O God, the desires of the wicked, allow them not their wicked plans.”
God does all this with unimaginable wisdom, accomplishing everything that is appropriate for the benefit of His handiwork. He knows the situation of each individual according to his true nature, and judges everyone accordingly.
Thus, for example, one who is in a state of prosperity and neglects his obligations is judged much more harshly than one who is in a distressed state and is prevented from living up to the standard by the pressures confronting him.
God judges each individual deed according to its circumstances, however, whether it is accidental or purposeful, whether it is forced or willful. For God knows the truth of all things, whether they be thoughts or deeds, and He judges them all according to their true nature.
—
Chapter 5 — Suffering as a Call to Repentance
There is also another aspect involved in the general concept of suffering.
Suffering may come to an individual in order to make him examine his deeds and motivate him to repent.
This is particularly true in the case of a righteous person who may have committed a few sins, or in the case of an intermediate individual, whose sins are balanced by good deeds.
Such suffering, however, is not the same as that discussed earlier, which was an atonement for sin. What we are speaking of now are sufferings meant to motivate one and awaken his heart to repent.
Punishment was only created to exist in the absence of repentance.
What God truly desires is that man not sin in the first place, and if he does sin, that he should repent. If one does not repent, however, he can still be purified through these punishments and thus not be annihilated completely.
Suffering therefore initially comes to an individual to motivate him to repent. If this is not effective, then he must also undergo further suffering to cleanse him of his sins.
Regarding this, Elihu told Iyov (Iyov 36:10):
“[God] opens their ear to discipline, and bids them repent from sin.” -
( Duties of the Heart)
There are many factors that detract a person from true repentance, because true, clean repentance is very difficult to achieve. People sometimes think that waking up in the morning, going to shul, praying, saying that they are sorry, and asking God for forgiveness is repentance. That is only the beginning.
Real repentance requires a person to examine himself honestly and cleanse his behavior in every area of life. It is not enough to correct the sins that are comfortable or easy to correct while continuing with others.
As Duties of the Heart states:
«Another factor that inhibits repentance is repenting from some sins while persisting in others. An example is one who detaches himself from transgressions against God, repenting of them, but does not detach himself from those against his fellowman, e.g., robbery, fraud, theft, and the like. Of him it was said, “If there is guilt in your hand, remove it” (Iyov 11:14).
On this subject, our Masters, of blessed memory, have said: “If a person has committed a transgression and confesses, but does not turn away from it, to what may he be compared? To one who holds a dead creeping thing in his hand. Even if he were to immerse in all the waters of the world, the immersion would not be effective. But, if he tosses it from his hand… immersion is then effective, as it says (Mishlei 28:13), ‘But he who admits and forsakes [his sins] will be forgiven’” (Ta’anis 16a).»
Honest Cleansing in All Aspects
Honest cleansing of oneself in all aspects is the only way forward. Teshuvah cannot be selective. A person cannot carefully cleanse one side of his life while deliberately holding on to wrongdoing in another.
In a certain sense, it can be easier to appear religious in matters between man and God. God does not speak to us in ordinary, daily, person-to-person conversation. A person can therefore become extremely careful about the external and physical aspects of religious observance. He can separate himself from forbidden foods, guard Shabbos, pray, dress religiously, and become meticulous in many mitzvos.
But then comes the much harder test: How does he behave toward another human being?
Does he push and shove? Does he triple-park because his own convenience comes first? Is he unethical or deceptive in business? Is he unnecessarily aggressive? Does he take advantage of another person’s weakness? Does he justify conduct toward employees, customers, partners, neighbors, or strangers that he would immediately condemn if someone else did it to him?
This is where the natural reflex of self-protection becomes extremely powerful. A person tells himself: I have to protect myself. I have to protect my money. I have to protect my business. If I don’t push, someone else will push me. If I don’t take advantage of the opportunity, someone else will.
Precisely here lies one of the hardest parts of teshuvah.
The obligations between man and God and between man and his fellowman come together. One cannot use meticulous religious observance as a substitute for honesty, fairness, restraint, and decency toward other people.
The teaching quoted above is severe because its imagery leaves very little room for self-deception. A person may immerse himself in all the waters of the world, but if he continues holding the source of impurity in his hand, the immersion accomplishes nothing. Confession without abandoning the wrongdoing is incomplete.
That is why Mishlei does not merely say that the person who admits his sins will receive mercy. It says:
“He who admits and forsakes them will be forgiven.”
Admission must be followed by abandonment.
Real teshuvah therefore demands an honest accounting of the whole person: religious life, family life, business life, financial dealings, behavior on the street, treatment of employees and partners, treatment of strangers, and even those ordinary moments when nobody is watching.
Cleansing cannot be compartmentalized.
If we want genuine repentance, we cannot clean the parts that are comfortable to clean while protecting the very habits that are most difficult to surrender. The hardest areas may be precisely where the real work of teshuvah begins. -
(Based on Bartenuea)
Hillel says:
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר: אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי? וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי? וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי?
«“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, when?”»
This famous Mishnah is sometimes misunderstood to mean: “I come first. First I must take care of myself and secure my own needs and future, and only afterward should I worry about somebody else.”
But that is not what the Bartenura explains.
1. “If I Am Not for Myself”
The Bartenura writes:
אם אין אני לי — אם אין אני זוכה לעצמי, מי יזכה בשבילי
«“If I am not for myself” — if I do not acquire merit for myself, who will acquire merit for me?»
Hillel is not teaching selfishness. He is teaching personal responsibility.
Nobody else can perform my obligations for me. Nobody else can build my portion in the World to Come for me. If there is a mitzvah that is my responsibility, I cannot simply assume that somebody else will take care of it.
If a person needs my help and the Torah obligates me to help him, I cannot excuse myself by saying, “Someone else will give.” If my community has a need for which I bear responsibility, I cannot simply wait for another person to act.
If I do not earn my own zechus through my own actions, who will earn it for me?
2. “And If I Am for Myself, What Am I?”
The Bartenura continues:
וכשאני לעצמי — ואפילו זכיתי לעצמי, מה הוא הזכות הזה ובמה נחשב הוא כנגד מה שאני חייב לעשות
«“And if I am for myself” — even if I have acquired merit for myself, what is this merit and what is it worth compared with everything that I am obligated to do?»
This makes it even clearer that Hillel is not saying, “Me first.”
He is saying almost the opposite.
Even after a person has accomplished something, given tzedakah, learned Torah, performed mitzvos and helped others, he should ask himself:
How much have I really accomplished compared with what Hashem has given me and what I am still obligated to do?
A person should not become satisfied merely because he has accumulated some merit.
3. “And If Not Now, When?”
The Bartenura explains:
ואם לא עכשיו — בעולם הזה
«“And if not now” — in this world.»
This is the key to understanding the entire Mishnah.
Now means Olam HaZeh — this world.
This is the world of action. This is where a person can perform mitzvos, give tzedakah, help another Jew, learn Torah, support Torah, perform chesed and build his eternal future.
After a person leaves this world, the opportunity to perform those mitzvos is gone.
Money can remain. Businesses can remain. Buildings can remain. Investments can remain.
But the opportunity to turn those possessions into mitzvos belongs to now.
The Mishnah Is About Responsibility, Not Selfishness
Therefore, it is a serious mistake to quote:
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”
as a general Torah slogan meaning:
“First secure myself and my future. I come first.”
There are specific halachos governing a person’s own necessities, his family’s obligations, chayecha kodmin, tzedakah, relatives, community responsibilities and the needs of the poor. Those halachos determine priorities.
But that is not the message of this Mishnah.
Hillel is speaking about something much deeper:
If I do not perform my mitzvos, nobody can perform my life for me.
If someone needs help today and I am obligated and capable of helping, I should not automatically justify holding everything for what I might need tomorrow.
Tomorrow is uncertain.
The mitzvah standing before me is real.
Final Reflection
The three statements of Hillel form one continuous message:
If I do not take responsibility for my own mitzvos, who will do so for me?
Even when I have accomplished something, what have I really accomplished compared with everything I am obligated to do?
And if I do not act now, during my lifetime in this world, when exactly do I expect to do it?
That is not a philosophy of “me first.”
It is a philosophy of “my responsibility first.”
A person’s true investment in himself is not merely what he accumulates for tomorrow.
It is what he does with today to build his eternity.
Source: Pirkei Avot 1:14; Bartenura ad loc. -
( https://thechesedfund.com/peoplewhocare/localarealargefamilysemergencyfinancialassistance)
א. בפרק הזה יבאר מצות החזקת מי שמטה ידו, שלא יתמוטט לגמרי חלילה.
והנה עד כה דברנו בענין סתם גמילות חסדים, שהאדם מיטיב לחברו עני או עשיר. ועתה נבאר עוד סוג שמצוי בענין זה, והוא — איש שמטה ידו, ובהלואה זו שילוהו יכול להחזיקו, שלא יפול ויצטרך לבריות.
וענין זה הוא גדול יותר מסתם גמילות חסדים, שבזה מקים עוד מה שאמר הכתוב (ויקרא כ”ה ל”ה):
«”וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך והחזקת בו גר ותושב וחי עמך”.»
ומה שאמר הכתוב “עמך”, יבאר במה שדרשו חז”ל (תמורה ט”ז.) על הפסוק (משלי כ”ב ב’):
«”עשיר ורש נפגשו עושה כולם ה’”:»
בשעה שבא עני אצל בעל הבית ואומר לו: פרנסני. אם מפרנסו מוטב, ואם לאו — “עושה כולם ה’”; מי שעשאו עשיר לזה, עושה אותו עני וכו’.
נמצא כשבא אצלך איש כזה, תצייר בנפשך, כאילו מטה ידך גם כן; כי אם לא תעזור לו, יוכל להתמוטט מצבו גם כן, חס ושלום. אבל אם תעזרנו ותחזיק ידו שלא יתמוטט, תהיו שניכם חיים וקיימים.
וזהו שכתב:
«”גר ותושב וחי עמך”.»
ואם יתן ה’ שיהיה מה על ידי זה, ויחיה בזה הוא ואנשי ביתו, יחשב ה’ להמלוה הזה, כאילו הוא החיה אותו וכל בני ביתו, וכמו שכתבנו למעלה (פרק ו’ אות א’) בשם המדרש (תנחומא משפטים סימן ט”ו).
The Message Before Rosh Hashanah
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, this teaching of the Ahavat Chesed becomes especially urgent.
We say in the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur tefillos:
«ותשובה ותפילה וצדקה מעבירין את רוע הגזרה
“Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah remove the severity of the decree.”»
These are not three things to begin thinking about when Rosh Hashanah has already arrived. Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah all require preparation beforehand.
We prepare our Teshuvah before standing in judgment. We prepare ourselves for Tefillah before standing before Hashem. And Tzedakah must also be given when it is needed — before the need has already passed.
Right now, before Yom Tov, families need money.
They need money for food, clothing, tuition, school expenses, and the many additional expenses that come together with the beginning of the school year and the Yamim Tovim.
Tzedakah given after Yom Tov cannot replace the Tzedakah that was needed before Yom Tov.
A family that needed money to make Yom Tov needed it before Yom Tov. A parent struggling with tuition or school expenses needs assistance when those bills are due. Helping afterward may certainly still be a mitzvah, but it does not repair the opportunity that existed when the person was asking and the need was immediate.
This is precisely the meaning of:
«והחזקת בו — “You shall strengthen him.”»
The Torah is telling us: catch him before he falls.
Do not wait until the family has collapsed financially. Do not wait until debts have accumulated beyond control. Do not wait until a person has lost his dignity and has no choice but to become completely dependent upon others.
If someone comes asking for help and one has the ability to help, turning away is not merely a missed opportunity for kindness. It can become a grave injustice.
The Ahavat Chesed gives a frightening warning: the One who made one person wealthy and another poor can reverse their circumstances. A person should never assume that because today he is the giver, his own position is guaranteed forever.
And this carries an especially powerful message as we approach Rosh Hashanah.
Soon we will stand before Hashem asking:
Give us life. Give us health. Give us parnassah. Give us blessing. Help our children. Help our families. Give us another good year.
Yet right now another Jew may be standing before us saying:
Help me. Help my family. Help me pay tuition. Help me buy what my children need for school. Help me make Yom Tov. Help me before I fall.
How can we expect Hashem to hear our requests while ignoring the requests placed directly before us when we have the ability to respond?
This is why Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah must begin before Rosh Hashanah.
And particularly with Tzedakah, timing itself is part of the help.
Giving when the need is urgent can keep a person standing. Giving after the crisis has passed cannot go backward and provide the food, clothing, tuition, or Yom Tov expenses that were needed beforehand.
So before Rosh Hashanah, one should not merely think about how much he himself needs from Hashem in the coming year. He should also look around and ask who needs something from him right now.
«ותשובה ותפילה וצדקה מעבירין את רוע הגזרה»
Think about Teshuvah before Rosh Hashanah.
Prepare for Tefillah before Rosh Hashanah.
Give Tzedakah before Yom Tov — when people actually need it.
The time is now. -
Before the Month of ElulPart 1 — Let’s Get Ready for the MonthFrom Duties of the HeartSection Seven:
THE GATE OF REPENTANCE
An Explanation of the Multifaceted Obligation of Repentance, Its Essential Elements, and the Things Connected to It
Having discussed in the preceding gate [the virtue of] humility, which is the root and beginning of repentance, I think it proper to follow with an explanation of the essential elements of repentance, and the ways to its perfect fulfillment.
First, let us take up the obligatory character of repentance and the need for it. It is clear to us, through reason and from what is written in Scripture, that a human being falls short in the fulfillment of his obligations to the Creator.
Reason tells us [the following]: A human being, we find, is subject to diverse natural forces, is composed of divergent elements, possesses conflicting traits of character, and must adapt to changing circumstances. Accordingly, his deeds are also diverse. They include the noble and the reprehensible, the corrupt and the just, the good and the evil. Hence the need for the restraining bonds of revealed law and the restrictions of the political order.
As for what is written in the Torah on this matter, Scriptural comments include the following: “For the devisings of man’s heart are evil from his youth” (Bereshis 8:21); “Every impulse of the thought of his heart was only for evil, all the time” (ibid. 6:5); “A man is born a wild donkey” (Iyov 11:12); “Behold, even the moon is not bright, the stars are not pure in His sight. How much less man, a maggot” (ibid. 25:5-6); “How can he, born of mortal woman, be upright?” (ibid. 25:4).
Since it is clear that man fails to live up to his obligations, it was strictly out of grace that the Creator, in His love and compassion for man, gave him the ability to correct his error and make up the loss in his service, by repenting and returning to Him. He then emphasized its importance and gave assurances concerning it, through His servants, the prophets. He allows us wide-ranging excuses when we stray from the path of His service, and has promised to accept [our repentance] and quickly favor us, even if we have long defied His word and violated His covenant, as He clearly stated in the passage that says, “When a wicked man turns from his wickedness and executes justice and righteousness, because of these he will live” (Yechezkel 33:19).
Since the righteous are of two kinds — (1) those who have always been free of sin and transgression, and (2) those who have repented of their sin — and as the great majority of the righteous are penitents, the psalmist opened with “Happy is one pardoned of transgression and forgiven sin” (Tehillim 32:1), and then followed with the other class, those who have escaped sin entirely, even though this class is higher in excellence. The reason for this is that every penitent was perfectly righteous before he sinned, but not every righteous individual is a penitent.
Of the perfectly righteous he says, “Happy is the man whom God does not regard as guilty, in whose spirit there is no deceit” (ibid. 32:2). This class is mentioned last because in every generation it is rarely found, as it says: “O God! If You hold on to sins, who, O God, will survive?” (ibid. 130:3); “For there is not a righteous man on earth who does [only] good and does not sin” (Koheles 7:20); “For there is no man who does not sin” (Melachim I, 8:46).
For this reason, our Masters established the matter of repentance and forgiveness at the beginning of the [Amidah] Prayer, in [the blessings that conclude] “Who invites repentance” and “Who generously forgives.” -
The delay in taking another major military step against Iran does not necessarily indicate weakness or indecision. It may reflect a broader strategy in which time itself provides military, political, diplomatic, and economic advantages.
1. Building a Larger and More Accurate Target Bank
A major campaign against Iran requires extensive intelligence preparation. Targets must be identified, verified, prioritized, and continually updated as Iran moves personnel, equipment, missiles, nuclear-related assets, and command structures. A month or several months of additional intelligence gathering can substantially improve the effectiveness of any future campaign.
2. Rearmament and Preparation for the Most Difficult Targets
The United States and Israel also need time to replenish, reposition, and prepare specialized weapons following previous operations. Iran’s deeply protected nuclear infrastructure presents an especially difficult military problem. Some facilities are buried beneath mountains and designed specifically to survive conventional attacks. Therefore, planners would have to determine what conventional options remain available without crossing the threshold into nuclear weapons.
3. The November U.S. Elections
The political calendar cannot be ignored. Trump has elections approaching in November. A major war before an election could affect oil prices, financial markets, American public opinion, and potentially American casualties. Waiting until after the election could give the administration considerably greater political freedom.
4. Giving Negotiations One More Opportunity
Trump may also be prepared to tolerate a certain amount of Iranian rhetoric and provocation while determining whether negotiations can produce meaningful concessions. That does not mean trusting the Iranian regime. It means allowing diplomacy to demonstrate whether there is anything serious to negotiate before committing to another major military campaign.
5. Allowing Economic and Internal Pressure to Increase
Timing may also work against the Iranian government. As the colder months approach, economic problems, energy shortages, sanctions, unemployment, inflation, and public dissatisfaction can become increasingly difficult to manage. An Iranian government dealing simultaneously with external pressure and growing internal frustration may eventually negotiate from a weaker position.
6. There Is No Immediate Strategic Need for Continuous Full-Scale Attacks
There is little reason to conduct major attacks simply for the sake of continuing the war if Iran is presently avoiding a confrontation that would compel a much broader American response.
Every additional military operation carries costs and risks: escalation, casualties, retaliation against American forces or allies, higher energy prices, and the possibility of turning a limited confrontation into a regional war.
If Iran can be contained temporarily while military and political preparations continue, there may be greater strategic value in waiting than in repeatedly bombing targets without a clearly defined next objective.
7. Determining Whether Regime Change Is Actually Possible
The largest unanswered question may no longer be how much additional damage can be inflicted on Iran from the air. The more important question is whether military pressure can actually produce political change.
Bombing Iran again—even very heavily—does not automatically remove the regime. Destroying military installations is very different from replacing a government.
If regime change were ultimately considered the objective, there would have to be a coherent Iranian political and social force capable of functioning inside the country, gaining control over different regions and institutions, maintaining basic order, and presenting a credible alternative government.
Without such a force, destroying additional government infrastructure could simply create chaos rather than a successful transition.
Therefore, part of the delay may be devoted to answering the most difficult strategic question of all:
If the present Iranian regime is eventually weakened to the breaking point, who is capable of replacing it—and how can a transition occur without destroying Iran itself?
Conclusion
Taken together, these seven considerations suggest a different interpretation of the delay.
The United States and Israel may have little reason to rush. Time permits intelligence gathering, rearmament, political positioning, negotiations, greater economic pressure on Tehran, avoidance of unnecessary escalation, and—most importantly—development of a coherent strategy for what would happen after another major confrontation.
Military forces can destroy targets relatively quickly.
The much harder problem is determining what comes the day after.
That may ultimately be the most important reason for waiting. -
A contrast with the World vs Jewish community that is aware of its duty!
A
כִּי לֹא־יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן מִקֶּרֶב הָאָרֶץ עַל־כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לֵאמֹר פָּתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת־יָדְךָ לְאָחִיךָ לַעֲנִיֶּךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ בְּאַרְצֶךָ׃
For the needy will not cease from the earth; therefore I command you: Open, open your hand to your brother, to your poor and your needy in your land.
B
כִּי לֹא יֶחְדַּל אֶבְיוֹן וגו׳. It does not say מקרבך or מקרב ארצך but מקרב הארץ [“from the earth”].
C
It is in the natural order of human events that, if things are left to develop as they will, the most extreme economic differences, destitution and plenty, poverty and wealth, will exist side by side. If from nothing else, this would result already from the fact that all men have not been endowed with equal abilities. Indeed, even assuming that two sons of the same father start out from their paternal home with equal resources, and then one of them has only one child, while the other must provide for a large family, this alone would produce a substantial disparity in their economic situation, and if, in addition, the brother with the large family will be beset with illness and other misfortunes, the generation that follows him may already be in dire want, in sharp contrast to the affluence of the other branch of the family.
D
It is in the nature of things that such situations should arise all over the earth [מקרב הארץ]. However, you must not permit them to arise בארצך, in your land, for it is “your” land, the land of God’s Torah and of the special Divine providence attached to the observance of the Torah. The Torah itself will level these natural disparities. There every poor man shall find a brother in his more affluent kinsman; there every poor and needy person is “yours,” belongs to the community.
E
And even as אביון לא יחדל מקרב הארץ, “a community never dies and never becomes impoverished” [see Avodah Zarah 6a; Yerushalmi, Gittin 3:7]. So, too, in a Jewish community that is aware of its duty, individual poverty and misery should be only a passing phase, to be transformed, under the aegis of Divine assistance, into a happy existence commensurate with human dignity.
F
In the Sifre our Sages also interpret כי לא יחדל אביון מקרב הארץ in the same way:
G
כי לא יחדל אביון מקרב הארץ ולהלן הוא אומר כי לא יהיה בך אביון, כיצד יתקיימו שני כתובים הללו, בזמן שאתם עושים רצונו של מקום אביונים באחרים ובזמן שאין אתם עושים רצונו של מקום אביונים בכם (cf. vv. 4–5 and Commentary there).
H
Under Jewish Law, help and support are assured to every poor person who is in need of assistance, and tzedakah does not shame the recipient who is in need of it. Moreover, one who is unable to work and earn a living but who, out of misplaced pride, deprives himself and his family of the necessities of life rather than accept the tzedakah to which he is entitled, bears a heavy burden of responsibility:
I
כל מי שהוא צריך ליטול ואינו נוטל הרי זה שופך דמים (Yerushalmi Peah, end).
J
At the same time, however, this same Law attaches great value to the preservation of a person’s independence. A person should be prepared to restrict himself to the barest necessities of life and accept any work, even that considered most menial in the eyes of a thoughtless world, in order to avoid having to appeal to the charity of his fellow men.
In no society is honest toil for an independent living held in such high esteem as it was among the Jews of old. Some of our great heroes of the spirit, whose light still shines before us, and to whom not only their contemporaries but also all the generations that followed looked with respect and admiration — among them הלל — lived in the most straitened circumstances and eked out their livelihoods as woodcutters, blacksmiths, cobblers, porters and water carriers.
By their personal example they taught the maxim עשה שבתך חול ואל תצטרך לבריות, “Live no better on Shabbos than you do during the week, and do not put yourself in need of assistance from your fellow men” (Pesachim 112a).
K
פשוט נבילתא בשוק ושקיל אגרא ולא תימא כהנא אנא וגברא רבא אנא וסניא בי מילתא, “Skin carcasses in the open market and get paid, and do not say: ‘I am a priest, I am a scholar; such work is beneath me’” (ibid. 113a; see רשב״ם Bava Basra 110a).
L
In the Mishnah at the end of Peah, our Sages say: One who does not need to take tzedakah and yet takes it will not depart from this world without having to resort to charity; but one who is entitled to take charity and yet manages to live without doing so will not leave this world in his old age without having supported others out of his own fortune.
M
כל מי שאינו צריך ליטול ונוטל, אינו נפטר מן העולם עד שיצטרך לבריות, וכל מי שצריך ליטול ואינו נוטל, אינו מת מן הזקנה עד שיפרנס אחרים משלו, ועליו הכתוב אומר (ירמיה יז, ז) בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּה׳ וְהָיָה ה׳ מִבְטַחוֹ. -
A Contemporary Discussion on Ma’aser Kesafim, Business Income, and Personal Benefit
Introduction
The laws of tzedakah are among the most fundamental obligations in the Torah. Much has been written about who receives priority in charity, yet comparatively little attention is given to an equally important question:
When does a person’s obligation to give actually begin?
In today’s economy, many individuals are not salaried employees. They own corporations, partnerships, LLCs, investment companies, or family businesses. They often receive significant economic benefits through those businesses while reporting relatively modest taxable personal income.
This essay explores a conceptual framework for analyzing those questions. It is intended to stimulate halachic discussion and is not a definitive ruling. Practical applications should always be reviewed with a competent Orthodox rabbi knowledgeable in ma’aser kesafim and contemporary business practice.
—
Chapter 1
The Order of Priority in Tzedakah
The Torah and Chazal establish a clear order of priority in giving tzedakah.
A person must first provide for his own essential needs, followed by his parents, children, and close relatives. After that come the poor of his own city, and only then the poor of other cities and Eretz Yisrael.
These priorities are well established and generally not disputed.
The more difficult and practical question is not who comes first, but when does a person become obligated to give tzedakah?
That question is the subject of the following chapters.
—
Chapter 2
When Does the Obligation of Tzedakah Begin?
Once the order of priority is understood, the next question is far more complex:
When does a person’s obligation to give tzedakah actually begin?
For a salaried W-2 employee, the answer often appears straightforward because income is easily identified.
For the self-employed, entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners, the answer is far less obvious.
A business may generate substantial profits while its owner intentionally receives only a modest salary for legitimate tax-planning purposes.
Profits may remain inside a corporation.
Travel may be paid through business reward points.
Business assets may provide personal convenience.
Meals may be business expenses.
Automobiles may serve both business and personal purposes.
All of these arrangements may be entirely lawful under the tax code.
The Torah, however, asks a different question.
The IRS asks:
“What income is taxable?”
Halachah asks:
“What financial benefit has the individual actually received?”
Those two questions are not always identical.
Tax planning may legally reduce taxes owed to the government.
It does not automatically determine one’s obligation in ma’aser kesafim.
The central question becomes:
Should personal economic benefits received through one’s business also be considered when calculating tzedakah?
That discussion forms the basis of the next chapter.Chapter 3
Personal Economic Benefit and the Obligation of Ma’aser Kesafim
This chapter presents a conceptual framework for discussion.
The guiding principle is simple:
«The IRS determines what is taxable. The Torah asks what personal economic benefit a person has actually received.»
A business expense may be completely legitimate under tax law while simultaneously providing the owner with a measurable personal benefit.
The question explored here is whether that personal benefit should be considered when calculating ma’aser kesafim.
A Practical Formula
For purposes of this discussion:
Personal Benefit = Total Business-Paid Value − True Business Necessity
Suggested Ma’aser = Personal Benefit × 10%
The purpose of this formula is not to replace halachic rulings, but to provide a practical way of identifying the value of personal benefits received through business expenditures.
—
Example One
Business Meals
A business lunch may be entirely legitimate.
Meeting clients.
Negotiating contracts.
Developing relationships.
All of these may justify the business expense.
However, one fact remains.
The individual has eaten.
Had the business meeting never occurred, he still would have needed to eat lunch.
Therefore, the personal benefit is not the restaurant experience itself, but the amount he would otherwise have spent feeding himself privately.
Definition of Personal Benefit
Personal benefit means the amount the individual would reasonably have spent to provide himself with a comparable meal in his own home using his own personal funds.
The restaurant may cost considerably more because of business purposes.
The personal benefit is the private expense that was avoided.
Example
Business restaurant meal (your portion): $300
Comparable meal prepared at home: $150
Personal benefit: $150
Suggested ma’aser (10%): $15
Formula
Business-paid meal ………… $300
Comparable home meal ………. $150
Personal benefit ………….. $150
Suggested ma’aser (10%) ….. $15
—
Example Two
Luxury Automobiles
The same analysis applies to expensive automobiles.
A luxury vehicle may genuinely serve a business purpose.
Certain industries require presenting a successful image.
Luxury real estate.
Private banking.
Investment management.
Ultra-high-net-worth clientele.
In such situations, an expensive vehicle may function as part of the company’s marketing and branding.
However, if the vehicle is purchased primarily because the owner personally enjoys driving it, then a substantial portion of its value represents personal benefit rather than business necessity.
Example
Annual cost of Rolls-Royce ………… $60,000
Comparable business vehicle ………. $20,000
Personal luxury benefit ………….. $40,000
Suggested ma’aser (10%) ………… $4,000
The guiding question is not:
“Can the company deduct it?”
Rather:
“How much of this expense exists for business—and how much exists for my own personal enjoyment?”
—
Example Three
Vacations, Airline Miles and Travel Rewards
Perhaps no modern example illustrates this discussion more than airline miles, hotel points and business-funded vacations.
Large businesses may generate enormous quantities of travel rewards.
Owners may legally redeem those points for first-class flights, luxury hotels, cruises and family vacations.
The IRS may not treat many of those rewards as taxable income.
The Torah question remains:
What personal benefit has the individual received?
If a family enjoys a vacation that would otherwise have required paying out of personal funds, then a measurable economic benefit has clearly been received.
Example
Value of personal vacation ………… $100,000
Business necessity ……………….. $0
Personal benefit …………………. $100,000
Suggested ma’aser (10%) …………. $10,000
Again, the issue is not whether the travel was legally arranged.
The question is whether personal benefit should be included in calculating ma’aser kesafim.
—
A Guiding Principle
Throughout this discussion one distinction remains constant.
Civil law determines taxes.
Halachah determines obligations before Hashem.
The two often overlap.
They do not always coincide.
Whenever a business expense also replaces a personal expense—or provides measurable personal enjoyment—the business owner should honestly ask:
“If my business had not paid for this, would I have paid for it myself?”
If the answer is yes, then a real economic benefit has been received.
Whether and how that benefit affects one’s ma’aser kesafim is a matter for competent halachic guidance.
This chapter proposes a framework for identifying those benefits and encouraging thoughtful discussion among Torah scholars, business owners, accountants, and rabbanim.
It is presented as a conceptual analysis and not as a definitive halachic ruling.Conclusion: Two Sets of Books
The central idea of this essay is that every business owner should keep two sets of calculations.
The first is for the accountant and the IRS. It determines taxable income, deductions, corporate expenses, and compliance with civil law.
The second is a personal accounting before Hashem. It asks a different question: What personal economic benefit have I, my family, and everyone under my financial responsibility actually received?
That calculation includes not only salary or distributions, but also the measurable personal benefits that improve one’s standard of living. Business-paid meals, personal use of company vehicles, vacations funded by business reward points, luxury assets, and other mixed business and personal benefits all require honest evaluation.
For example, a person may report taxable income of $500,000 per year while legally receiving personal benefits worth several million dollars through his business. According to the conceptual framework presented in this essay, the Torah question is not limited to what appears on a tax return, but extends to the total personal benefit that the individual and his household actually enjoyed.
This concept is not entirely new. Two hundred years ago, a farmer harvested his fields, gathered his produce into his storehouses, and was obligated to separate terumah, ma’aser, and the other agricultural gifts from the blessing that Hashem had placed into his possession.
Today’s successful entrepreneur may not store grain in a barn, but he may enjoy a lifestyle supported through his business. In that sense, his personal economic benefits become his modern “storehouse.” The form has changed, but the underlying question remains: From what blessing has Hashem allowed me to benefit?
Once that personal benefit is honestly identified, a person should promptly fulfill his obligation of tzedakah according to the proper halachic priorities established by the Torah and Chazal. The exact calculation in any individual case should be determined in consultation with a competent Orthodox rabbi familiar with the laws of ma’aser kesafim and modern business practice.
May our financial success always be accompanied by integrity, gratitude, generosity, and the privilege of supporting those whom the Torah commands us to help. -
The Rambam’s Vision and Modern Predictions About Artificial Intelligence
For centuries, skeptics have viewed the Torah as an ancient book disconnected from the modern world. Yet, from time to time, advances in science and technology reveal ideas that echo concepts described by our Sages many generations ago. One striking example is found in the closing chapter of the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 12:5.
The Rambam writes:
“In that era, there will be neither famine nor war, envy nor competition, for good will flow in abundance and all the delights will be freely available as dust. The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know God.”
These words were written more than eight hundred years ago. The Rambam describes a future in which material scarcity disappears. Food, resources, and the necessities of life become so abundant that competition and conflict fade away. Humanity is then able to devote itself to its highest purpose: knowing the Creator.
In a recent interview, Elon Musk made a prediction that surprised many. Speaking about the rapid development of artificial intelligence and robotics, he stated:
“Money won’t matter in 2036.”
He explained that if robots and AI can produce more goods and services than any person could ever consume, then the need for money itself may largely disappear. In such a world, abundance rather than scarcity would define everyday life.
The similarity between these two visions is remarkable. Musk approaches the future from the standpoint of technological innovation. The Rambam describes it as part of the Messianic era under Divine providence. Yet both foresee a world in which material abundance replaces the struggle for survival.
The essential difference, however, is profound. Elon Musk sees technology as the mechanism that may create abundance. The Rambam teaches that abundance is not the ultimate goal. Rather, it is the foundation upon which humanity can pursue its true purpose. As he continues, the occupation of the world will be to know Hashem, and the Jewish people will become great sages who will understand the deepest truths of creation.
The prophet Isaiah concludes with the vision that inspired the Rambam:
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons from this comparison is that the Torah has long described realities that mankind only begins to recognize centuries later. Technology may change the world, but according to the Torah, its highest value is realized only when it enables mankind to seek truth, wisdom, and a closer relationship with the Creator.
As history unfolds, the words of the Rambam continue to remind us that the ultimate destination of civilization is not merely greater wealth or more powerful machines, but a world in which material abundance allows humanity to recognize Hashem. In that future, the Jewish people will fulfill their timeless mission—to teach the knowledge of God to all mankind, until, as Isaiah declares, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
