As we mentioned yesterday, Rashi says that when a person gives money to the poor, it’s as if he built the Bet Hamikdash. The laws of giving to the poor, Leket, Shikcha and Pe’ah are brought in between the holidays of Shavuot and Rosh Hashana.
The Meshech Chochma asks the following question:
We know that God judges a person the way he is at that time. That is why God judges us during the daytime, while we are doing Mitzvot etc. So why does God judge us at the time of Rosh Hashanah? In ancient times, the Jewish people were an agricultural society. After Sukkot, after they planted and plowed, and waited for rain, learning and connecting to their Creator. Then, from Pesach until Succot, they were busy in the fields, cutting, harvesting, packing and drying, until Hag HaAsif. So why does God judge the people on Rosh Hashanah, when they have been out in the fields, neither learning nor connecting. Why not judge them at the time of the year of Pesach, when they’d just finished six months in the Bet Hamikdash?
He answers based on a Gemara in Masechet in Bava Batra (11) which tells the story of Binyamin Hasadik, the Righteous Biyamin. It was during a time of famine, and he was in charge of the Kupat Sedaka/Charitable fund. A woman with 7 children came to him asking for help, but he apologized, telling her that fund had been depleted.
She replied, “If you don’t take care of me, a lady and her seven children will die.“ So he took from his own money to help her. A little while later he got sick, and was going to die. The angels then went to Hashem and said, “He gave life to this woman and her seven children, doesn’t he deserve life?“ And they added 21 years to his life.
The Meshech Chochma asks, “This man was named Binyamin HaSadik before this story. He was the Righteous Binyamin, meaning that he always did the right thing. So why did he need the story in order to save his life?”
The answer is that in order for a person to get life, it has to be measure for measure. By giving life to somebody, you get life back. That is why Binyamin Hasadik needed that act. The Meshech Chochma continues and says that when we give to the poor, specifically leket,shikcha and pe’ah, which is when the farmers just leave things out in the field with no idea who was taking it, after a hard season of working the land, of harvesting and cutting, and at every step of the way when they dropped something, they left it, or if they forgot it, someone took it, and they had to leave the corners… and they never had any idea who took it….that is giving life to somebody that you don’t know, who may not even deserve it.For this, God says, “You gave them life, I will give you life.“
Therefore, the Meshech Chochmah says that Hashem chose to judge people on Rosh Hashanah, specifically because it comes out of the time of the year when people are giving the most charity. From here we see the need for Ahavat Yisrael, and the need for giving, because that is what brings out the zechuyot/merit.
I’d like to add to this, based on what I see in my own community (and probably in many others). The summertime is always a time of fundraising and charitable events, whether they be parlor meetings, bake sales, appeals or drives in shul, The amount of giving is overwhelming. It seems to me that we don’t have an agricultural society today, but God cares about us, so He worked it into the system that there is a huge outpouring of charity before Rosh Hashanah.
In that way, He gives us the opportunity to give to people that we don’t know, that we may not necessarily even think are deserving
( we should not have the attitude, has v’shalom, of judging collectors, wondering why the person is out collecting, rather than going to work). J
When we give life to people, God gives life back.
Have a wonderful day.