Parashat Sav starts off with, “Sav Et Aharon/Command Aharon, and tells him to put on his clothing and then go and remove the ashes that the fire eats. Rashi says Sav is lashon zaruz/ alacrity, indicating a need to move and excite people, which is necessary in a situation where there’s a loss of money.
There is a question about what exactly the loss of money is; possibly it’s the Olah that is burned and of no benefit.
Nonetheless, Rashi explains that in a case where there is monetary loss involved, people need extra motivation. And the term “M’yad U’Dorot/at this time and in the future” is used, which indicates that this is something that is not going to end.
The Pele Yoetz writes, on the topic of Vatranut/Tolerance, that everyone believes that when you give money, in his words, you are lending money to God and He will pay you back $1000/$100.
That’s what happens when you spend money on Sedaka. You are lending God, with interest that is legal.
Furthermore, it says that when you give money to the poor graciously, you eat the benefits in this world- wealth and honor, and the principle is paid in Olam Haba.
We can talk about this intellectually from today to tomorrow, yet when the time comes, the Yetzer Hara hardens the heart, suddenly cloaks you in darkness , and you don’t see or appreciate the benefit.
He adds that the only explanation for this is, “The Yetzer Hara for money is harsh, like the cliff, and hard like steel.”
We have to understand that Hashem made it this way in order to test us in life. Sometimes things seem simple, but the Yetzer Hara comes and gets involved, and if you don’t fight it, it will be a challenge.
This is why the Torah says, “Sav Et Aharon,”
It’s a special command, and to Aharon and His children, of all people, the Kohanim, in order to show us that everybody needs special motivation when it comes to giving Sedaka, although we believe in our heads, that all the beracha comes from Sedaka.
Sometimes people have doubts. They say, Now with all this inflation, you want me to give Sedaka?
But the Gemara says that when a sheep has to go through water, they shear it, because if it walks through the water with all that wool, it gets soaked and heavy and can’t get through the water.
Similarly, the Gemara says, when a person is going through a difficult time, he has to “shear the wool, and give Sedaka.”
It may not seem to make sense- you’ll get through because you gave Sedaka?
Yes. That will get you through.
We have to believe this. In the hardest of times, the best thing to do is give Sedaka.
I say this as we kick off our yearly appeal for Lev Chana,
an organization that gives cards to needy community families, that they can redeem in certain clothing stores.
Every year, I give the same speech, which is a Rashi on Midrash that says that God lists eight different people when it comes to being happy on the holidays. He says that four of them are yours- your son, your daughter, your male servant and your female servants. And four are God’s. The poor person, the convert, the orphan, and the widow. And God says the following: “If you take care of My four,I will take care of your four.”
That is a powerful line. Rav Chaim Palagi says that it is basically happiness insurance.
When it comes to a holiday, you can spend all kinds of money on clothing, food, trips and vacations and yet people are not happy. Rav Chaim Palagi says that it is because they did not pay attention to this Rashi.
He says, “Many a time (and this goes back to over 200 years ago in Turkey), I would send this Rashi to wealthy people and tell them to read it… Do you want to know why you are screaming and yelling? Do you know why you aren’t getting along with your children? It is because you’re not making the poor people happy.”
We have to believe this in our heads. We pay all kinds of money for insurance of all types- just in case, and we hope that we don’t have to use it.
Well, we have to take out happinesses insurance before every holiday.We have to make sure that people are happy. And the Pele Yoetz says that the best way to make people happy is to give them clothing( it’s even better than food, because we don’t know what they like to eat), because that gives them honor.
We give this class 300 days of year, of course, for no charge. If you consider that it is worth the price of a cup of coffee, which is five dollars, that’s about $1500 a year.
Now is the time to show a little bit of Hakarat HaTov.
I give out close to $150,000 before I get the money, and I’m counting in everyone to come through.
Anyone who wishes to participate in this special mitzvah can write a check made out to Lev Chana,
and mail it to
Lev Chana
c/o Rabbi David Sutton
1059 E. 10th St.
Brooklyn, NY, 11230.
To be billed, email me directly at rabbisutton@gmail.com
For Quickpay, use
rabbisutton@gmail.com
Or click on this link:
https://www.rayze.it/levchana/
Thank you.
Rabbi David Sutton