One of the great Gedolim of yesteryear was Rav Chaim Hizkiyahu Medina. He was originally from Turkey and moved to Hebron. He wrote a famous encyclopedic work called the Sdei Chemed. He originally lived in a wealthy area of Istanbul, and other places, and his many congregants and friends committed to support him in his move to Eretz Yisrael with large sums of money, so that he would be able to live very comfortably.
However, when he got to Eretz Yisrael, he decided that he would rather live more simply than the comfortable way that his supporters had planned for him, and he figured out that he could survive on much less than the money that his supporters had promised him. Not wishing to insult anybody, however, he wrote a letter to them explaining that he did not need their money, but that he was concerned about a related matter: His custom was to give ma’aser from the money that he received from his salary. So if they committed to pay him $100,000, $10,000 of that would go to poor people. There is a term in the Gemara ( Masechet Megila 28a)
Vatran B’Memoni Hayiti/ I was easygoing with my money.
The Rabbi wanted to be easy going with his money, but not with other people’s. How could he be mevater on himself and pass on other people’s money? The poor people would lose out if he took less money from his supporters. In the letter, he explained that although halachically it was not a problem, nonetheless, he did not want to cause a loss to the poor. So he asked everybody to give 10% of what they had originally committed, and he would distribute that money to the poor. In that way, there would be no problem of the poor people losing out, while he was giving in on his money.
He had another question about when people left money in their wills to him. Did he have to fulfill the terms of those wills and accept that money? In the end, he decided not to take that money, but he would pray, and do things for the elevation of their neshamot, so that they would not lose out on supporting the rabbi.
This is a tremendous on two levels- Firstly, because, as it says “Someone who hates gifts will live.“ And also because, at the same time, he was concerned that his piousness should not cause the poor to lose out.
What a wonderful story about, on one hand being machmir on yourself, but on the other hand, having the sensitivity that no one else should lose out from it.
Have a wonderful day.