Parshas Tetzaveh (Zachor) 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Mar 7
- 2 min read
Chodesh Adar and the Yom Tov of Purim (2)
Matanos L’evyonim: Nature of the Mitzvah. The Ritva (1) and Levush (2) say that the mitzvah of Matanos l’evyonim is not just a mitzvah of giving on Purim, but rather a mitzvah of bringing joy to the recipient. The Levush even adds the words, “Joy on Purim.” Thus, we see that the thrust of this mitzvah is not so much the act of the giver but rather the joy of the receiver. This means that the laws of the mitzvah might not be identical to the regular laws of charity. The following halachos give an understanding of the mitzvah.
1) The Mishna Berura (3) writes that what is given should be fit to benefit a person on the very day of Purim, whether it is food or money. Today we have a service called, “Donors Fund” where one can give out prefilled checks which saves the trouble of writing out checks, lost receipts, sloppy accounting, and also minimizes the chances of fraud. However, the recipient still has to submit the prefilled checks till all is checked out and recorded and only then he gets his money, and possibly loses 2% on the transaction. One should not rely on this to fulfill the mitzvah. One could use it for extra giving after having fulfilled the mitzvah. This year, Purim is on Friday and one might live in a place where third-party checks are not taken by stores, and there is no usage for the check till Monday.
2) Rav Elyashiv zt”l (4) says that even the words of the M.B. that food or money suffices, might not hold true nowadays. In the olden days, a poor person would get joy from a donation of food. Nowadays, B’ezras Hashem, food is often not a problem in the house and money is the only thing that brings people joy, even when it might come in handy enough to deem it tzedakah.
3) The Mishna (Avos 3:15) regarding tzedakah tells us that everything is judged according to the amount of action. The Rambam (5) explains that it is better to give ten donations of $10, than one donation of $100. The reason is because that way, the many acts of generosity work more on the character refinement of the giver, more than one big donation. This is true by regular tzedaka, but in a situation where $10 hardly brings any joy to the recipient, it might be better to give two donations of fifty dollars.
(1) מגילה ז. (2) או"ח תרצ"ד (3) מ"ב תרצד:ב (4) הובא בשבות יצחק ח' (5) פירוש המשניות אבות ג:טו