Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

A few weeks ago, my seminary sent out a fundraising pitch that was hard to refuse. The letter said that if we contributed to the fund raiser in the next two weeks, our gift would be matched by an anonymous contributor up to a certain amount. My contribution to a cause I believed in would be doubled!

We have all been on the receiving end of requests like this. Who would not want to have their gift multiplied by two? The 17th century Rabbi and Biblical commentator, the Kli Yakar, writes that the Torah teaches us that in all matters of Tsedaka — of giving charity — there is a doubling. But the doubling is not given by an anonymous donor. The doubling is done by the Blessed Holy One Himself!

From where does he find this? In our Torah portion for this week it states, with regard to tithing, “Aser Te-Aser“, literally “tithe, you shall tithe” when giving donations to the priests or to the poor. (Deuteronomy 14:22) With regard to contributions to the indigent the Torah says, “Naton Titain“, literally, “in giving you shall give” (Deut. 15:10) and “patoach tiftach“- “in your opening your hand to the poor, you shall open” (Deut. 15: 8,11). With regard to a person in need of a loan, the Torah states, “Ha-avet Te-avetenu“, “lend, you shall lend” (Deut. 15:8). In other words, wherever the Torah talks about giving to the needy, it uses a “double term” to describe the giving. This is true as well when the Torah speaks of the reward for giving — barekh ye-varekh — “You will be blessed with a blessing” (Deut. 15:4).

“It appears that all of one’s contributions of money and goods are doubled, and all of the kind words one says to the poor have twice the effect,” writes the Kli Yakar. “On the condition that there is no resentment in one’s heart and that the giving is done is a friendly manner and with an open heart, as it says in Proverbs, ‘The poor shall not hear a rebuke.’ ” In order to have the “doubling effect” the manner in which one gives is as important, if not more important, as how much one gives.

But how does this work? Where is the doubling? It is not as if I give a hundred dollars to a charity and God puts in another hundred bucks. Rather, I think, when one gives tsedaka with the proper intention one is both opening one’s hand and opening one’s heart. This is then a double offering. When one gives tsedaka with the proper intention, one is living one’s life according to God’s will and helping another in need. Another doubling. Then there is the rabbinic dictum, mitzvah gorer mitzvah, one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah. If one gives tsekadka with joy one is likely to give tsekaka again.

Image: Tsedaka Box in the likeness of Florence, Italy synagogue. Personal Collection.