Do not harden your heart or shut your hand against
your needy brother. Open your hand generously.
—Deuteronomy 15:7–8.
It’s simple enough, really. If your neighbor is in need,
open your wallet.
But, as is often the case with matters of charity, the
real challenge isn’t understanding the commandment. It’s acting on it.
One day, the Maggid of Dubno went to collect money to free
a man who had been thrown into debtors’ prison. He paid a visit to a wealthy
Torah scholar, hoping for a generous contribution. The Maggid started by
discussing the laws of tzedakah, thinking this would inspire the man to donate
to this cause. But the scholar began expounding on his own novel insights into
these laws. Not quite what the Maggid was hoping for, but he let it slide.
Next, the Maggid quoted the Talmud’s teachings on the
great mitzvah of redeeming captives. Surely this would strike a chord. But
again, the scholar veered into a dense legal discussion, as if the man in
prison were just another hypothetical case in a long series of legalities.
At this point, the Maggid broadly hinted that his visit
was not to chat on legal and theological topics. It was about a very tangible,
practical matter: raising funds to rescue an imprisoned man and help his
family. But the scholar, as sharp as he was in Torah, seemed rather dull on the
subject of generosity.
So, the Maggid decided to change tactics entirely. He told the following story.
The Gift of Onions
A young traveler once arrived in a land where, to his
surprise, there were no onions. Now, anyone with even a basic understanding of
cooking knows that onions are the unsung heroes of any decent dish. So, the
traveler dug into his bag and pulled out a string of onions—real delicacies,
these onions—and handed them over to the locals.
The locals, having never seen such a marvel, were floored.
They tried cooking with the onions, and—surprise!—they were hooked. Everything
tasted better with onions. They were so impressed by the onions that they
decided to reward the traveler with a purse filled with gold and silver.
Not long after, another visitor arrived in the same land.
The second visitor noticed that there was no garlic in this country. So, he
pulled out a bunch of garlic bulbs from his own stash and gave it to the
locals. The garlic, of course, added a delightful flavor to their meals. The
locals, pleased once again, deliberated on how to repay their benefactor. What
reward could match this wonderful gift?
After a brief discussion, they came to a unanimous
decision. They decided to reward the garlic-giver… with a few of their
highly-prized onions.
Having finished his tale, the Maggid turned to his
scholarly host. “You see, I bring you garlic, and what do you give me in
return? Onions! But that wasn’t my intention. I was expecting silver, not a
vegetable swap.”
