Tanya By Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz Sec4 Chap16 “Give Charity even if you are struggling”

welcome to tonight's hanging class we are in a garret Hakodesh the fourth section of Tanya and we're holding chapter 16 pay react as alien as always every chapter in Tanya since it's the foundation misses a mysticism is very very profound and very specific and you walk I read a beautiful lesson so in this chapter of Tanya the outdoor addresses an issue which is actually an important issue according to the alter rebbe and real revolutionary right a little more than a little revolutionary and that is the author discusses in this chapter how we should give charity even when you're struggling and again to be clear according to Jewish law there's different rules about when you give how much you give and if you strongly you might be a different issue but the author is talking from a Kabbalistic perspective and possibly some melaka construes about even if you're struggling should you give charity in the Alturas position this perk of tanya is that a person should give charity even if you're struggling now it's interesting is that generally speaking the chapters of tanya are chapters in tonya if you have a caption beforehand and this one it doesn't a plunge a kodesh that means the author it wrote this to a specific community he wrote to a community and as we see in the in the chapter of tanya the author addresses a community what was the story of this community this was a community that was struggling financially now if you're struggling financially you're trying to survive now even though they were struggling financially the author writes them as follows that even though I know so the first author is addresses what he heard and which is the Emmis even though I know when I heard that you guys are struggling and you can't pay your bills whether they were tuition bills and their grocery bills or maybe the electric and the water bill in the house you're struggling and I also heard that you're borrowing funds to live and so the Opera starts off and he gives them a blessing they want to bless you you should be successful and the God should give you everything you need these wells pay your bills you should have the tremendous success and all all the wonderful things and he actually invokes the God should have compassion because compassion is a very very strong blessing so he's asking a God should have compassion on these people and they should have everything they need however here the altar gets a little stronger to say the least and so even though you're struggling even though you struggling nevertheless he says I'm not happy to hear that you closed your hands and close your hearts not to give people that are less fortunate than you in other words what the author was saying is like this you're struggling I get it can't pay your bills things are tight it's not the way it used to be however we're talking about the data in the oppor was complaining campaigning strongly for communities in Israel that people went to Israel to live there to protect the land of Israel physically and spiritually and they have nothing there was no income there so everything that they had literally everything came from outside of Israel as gifts and as donations so the altar is says guess what you're struggling true and yes you're both working hard and you can't pay your bills but you have something you have some sort of income these people in Israel who I'm beseeching you to help when I have them beseeching your help they have nothing and guess what if we don't send them they literally have nothing and possibly starve to death you're not starving to death you're living in a real country you have who to borrow from and you'll have work and eventually you'll pay your back and things will turn around but they're starting with zero and therefore the Almer says it's an obligation you have to go ahead and help them now the question is why the question is a simple question if I'm struggling a campaign my bill they couldn't pay their bills and they're borrowing to live it's like why should they borrow to help them maybe let the other people block that let them borrow and the outer addresses this issue own he says like this first of all he says let's focus on the people that need help they need help they have nothing now on one hand I understand you're struggling but the other is let's let's look at them for a minute if we their brothers and sisters us Jewish people are not gonna have compassion on them to reach out and help them financially who will who's gonna help them they have no one else they should turn to strangers people that aren't their brothers and sisters aren't their relatives aren't from the same nation so who's gonna help them therefore the optimist says guess what we have an obligation biblically as the verse says in the Torah buffet Akiko email that your brother should live with you which that means that if your brother is in trouble you should stop and reach out to the person who should we check doesn't say a cousin a stranger it's and your brother so if they are in trouble and they're struggling the hey up he came up which means that we have an obligation to stop we're doing and help them now so the auto realities dealing with a smart crowd that's smart alecks smart educated scholarly and they're gonna come back and say it's true it does say you should help your brother that's struggling but it also says in code the Jewish law the rapper brings it down that if two people are walking in the desert and one person has a jug of water if they both drink it they both not gonna make it out they both kind of guy if one person the one that has it drinks it I'll make it out the other one all right unfortunately so what does the grandmum tell us what should you do should you split it or should you drink yourself that was very simple kayaker coiling your life comes first why if it's a situation if you split the bottle you both will make it out for sure you should split it but here this one bottle and it's only enough for one it's your bottle so your bottles come your life comes first why should you give it to the other guy why should you die it's your bottle of water but the entre says you're gonna come and argue and say hi yeah cacodemon your life comes first because hey you can't pay your bills and you're borrowing so the entre says one second you can't come here because their case that we say that if you have one bottle your life comes first that means you have one bottle of water if you drink it you'll make it out if you split it you're both not going to get out however and this is not the case over here because the fact is you have what to eat fine you're behind in your bills and you're borrowing money but you have what to eat you're not dying here they have nothing and if you don't take care of them guess what they are going to god forbid who knows what happened to them so the rule of your life comes first is only when it's equals when you're both struggling in the same level but these people the struggle is much greater you have no one to turn to and therefore it doesn't apply and therefore you have to help them that's first I'm militia number one realtor says so again it's not equal and if because it's not equal you have to stop and help them now the outer it goes even further knees like this even in the case where it is equal that means you're having the same struggle and they're halves and the outer becomes now for me getting till now is coating the Jewish law he quoted from the law you slept to help them because because let's even say in a case where it's equal now pointing to Jewish law you're exempt comes along the outer Bernie says from a Kabbalistic perspective guess what you still have to help them why is that why do you select to help them and y'all prefer something this several reasons reason one of one the autumn says very simple when you go by the rules of the book so those rules will come back to you in other words if you go by the rules you're saying listen right now they need help your response is I have nothing to give them I myself a welcome welcome welcome sorry start a few minutes early but come come inside have a seat come come this way this way this way so number one the author says when you go by the rules what happens is so you're saying I can't help them why can't I help them right now because I don't have what to give them utter ramps so halakhah CLE and by the rules do you have to give them you don't have to the prayer is that you're limiting yourself to what you're doing based on what the rules are so what's gonna happen now if you have a issue and you and you need help from God and you turn to God's God and need help I'm working I'm putting in my effort I'm doing what I'm supposed to and guess what I'm struggling so God can say okay work harder work harder like what do you want to leave and unfortunately you can be end up becoming a charity case for yourself why because the only reason why you're helping these people point out I was saying helping cuz we have compassionate you don't have to but if you're gonna say no I go by the rules rule book says my life is just like theirs and therefore they have a struggle I also have a struggle I'm exempt guess what when you're gonna have a struggle God's gonna say okay work harder deal with it under the other hand Albert says when you on the other hand go ahead and say you know what even though I don't have to give them I don't have to but what do ya'll say give them anyway am i doing what I have to know I'm giving even though I don't have to so guess what now god forbid you'll be in trouble you'll turn to God and say God I need help God can tell you work harder can tell tell you it's your issue because you're not behaving that way in other words you when you create the reality that you're willing to do whatever is needed to help somebody else even though you don't have to when you're gonna need help you know what's gonna happen God will turn to you and God will help you so that is the first reason what the author is saying is that even though maybe a salokya you don't have to help them but doctors is please I'm begging by you help them anyway so that you're not limiting your opportunity for great help from God when you're gonna need that help that's point number one second thing the altmer says in life when you go through life life is great but every once in a while we need to turn to God for some compassion whatever it may be whether you want to get uh some kind of job a promotion you want to embark on a new business venture you want to explore new areas of cabbalistic insight that you're never able to break through it could be physical it could be mental can be emotional it could be and whatever may be now if you go if you go by the rules the rules are rules but we all always want someone want compassion from God you're working on something you want to have like a gift you want things to open up for you what is that cold you want compassion from God so if you want compassion from God in your areas of your life you want to not just be happy you want to be super happy that you need God's help for that so dr. Murray says again have compassion for these people who again you might have every excuse not to be compassionate and you'll receive compassion from God that's the second point elder assess second reason why he's saying that even though you might not have to reach to do it anyway $13 versus as follows look at yourself we are you and beings we're your links now humans are not what angels angels are perfect what does that mean they do the right thing they say the right thing they think the right things we're humans humans make mistakes so if someone tells you I'm perfect either they're lying no offense or they're an angel but human they're not you must make mistakes now so since we're humans and humans make mistakes mistakes against God obviously and we sin because it says that even they Sadiq even saw was extremely righteous there's no things that I like who doesn't send people send now if you sin guess what you've said how do we delete the sentence how do you link the sentence there's one answer what's the answer when you give charity you give charity that white soy defense not only that we all know the famous line it says smoke Oh charity counsel will save me mothers even sins that God forbid are so severe that the punishment is what is there even such great sins if you go ahead and you give charity you can wipe away all the sins sucker cotillon wallace charity can wipe it all the way so in other words so since charity wipes raisins you have an opportunity in charity the charity will take away your sins and it can save you god forbid from even some serious issues of death give charity and the optimist says let me let me ask you a question like this everyone has we are a budget what you live on you have a certain amount of food for clothing for a shelter for travel car whatever your whatever your budget is we also have a certain amount that we predict for healthcare whether it's health insurance whether it's doctor co-pays whatever may be now let's see whatever the percentage of your budget is for medical it's a certain percentage we hope it's always less but there's a certain percentage what happens god forbid someone gets really really sick and let's see you budgeted pick any number in your head you budgeted x4u medical issues and all of a sudden often if you got sick and not only is it X it's oh my gosh ten times that amount a hundred times that amount even a thousand times the amount I mean crazy amounts of money that's it you're not gonna try to get help you're not gonna try to heal yourself would anyone ever put a price tag how much they're willing to spend on health no we all know people go into debt people mortgage their houses people mortgage their whole future for their children on the grandchildren for health reasons today they have all these you know GoFundMe and all these campaigns they raise money why cuz when it comes to health is there a price tag no cuz he want to live you want to be healthy you want to be happy you want to function now that is about walk what kind of health physical health so the author is says let me answer question is what I was when it comes to spiritual health and you got to look spiritually not well spiritually you're lacking faith and God's you're lacking in being having love for God or for God you know relationship with gods now we all know if you have a great relationship with God how's lives not only greats beyond great because it's with God you have a strong beautiful relation with God it's a great thing now how much are you willing to get for that relationship with God is there a limit there certainly will you give more for a spiritual relationship spiritual healing than physical healing you would hope for sure so if you're willing to give any dollar amounts of physical healing for spiritual healing should be any dollar amount and then some so the optimist says again when it comes to spiritual healing we should be ready to give anything and everything so here someone's reaching out to you and they need hell and let's even say you're struggling and you're not paying your bills and you're borrowing money but you have an opportunity once in a lifetime to help someone that has nothing when you help that person as I've said now he's gonna wipe where you're saying sins it's actually gonna heal you spiritually so why wouldn't you do it and never doctor says yes even though it be halakhah CLE you don't have to because a Jewish girl can't the man turn you to do it but if you had any spiritual inside you for sure do it it wouldn't even be a question the answer doesn't give up here's another reason another reason why you should do it and that purpose is like this when you're giving charity so one might think take whatever dollar amount is in your heads and you give to a poor person or someone they need so you feel like it's mine and I'm giving to that person and the altar is another any time you give charity it's not a gift to the poor person it's actually you ready for this it's a loan to God when you give whatever the dollar amount the charity to the poor person the person I need again it looks like you take them from your pocket it's yours and then you transfer it over and you'll ever see it again the object no it's a loan to God and if it's a loan to go not only does God pay you back the loan that you gave he actually pays you back double so if you help someone 100 dollars a thousand not whatever the amount is it's a loan and you're gonna get back double so here you're telling me you're struggling okay am I asking you to give away your bread and butter am I asking you to borrow money and let us see it again it's a loan - it's a loan and it's a loan to God and God's gonna pay you back double and as we know it's the only Mitzvah that the reward you get in this world in the world come as well but you get the reward in this world you're gonna get rewarded back in this world you're gonna get back the money you put in plus double it's like why wouldn't you do it dollar II was further he's proving his case here strong this is very simple the fact is that everybody's helping these people everybody they're out in Israel they have no money everyone's sending the money now the rule is if everybody's doing something it's very powerful the power of community if one person takes on a project okay so probably project but when everybody's doing it your community all the communities are doing it everyone's on this list I'm giving and you're not on the list that's not a great thing because you're gonna be noticed you're not there and you're gonna be noticed in a very strong way so never everybody's giving do you want to be on the list absolutely and then the optimum finish is off on a beautiful positive note Lisa's like this when you actually give and you give even though it's hard to give you know what happens afterwards very very simple God and their algebra as well says we'll give you huge blessings huge blessings for success so like you can't go wrong it's a home run situation so what you see over here in this chapter chapter 16 a big area to kodesh the altar rule revolutionizes the idea of supporting the concept that even if you're struggling you should give charity anyway and it might be hard it might be difficult but on the other hand how could you not do it that's number one and more importantly it's a hundred percent of win situation you'll get compassionate from God you'll wipe out your sins God's gonna pay you back you're involved with everybody and you get a huge blessings you can't go wrong so this is a tremendous chapter anytime you're struggling you say yeah let me just close up shop let me hold my pocket my wallet my hand my fist God don't go that way on the contrary give and give a newly blessed with great and beautiful blessings