Adapted
from the Writings of the Arizal, parashat Beshalach, by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky
"When there will be a poor person amongst you…do
not tighten your heart and do not close up your hand in front of your
poor brother. Rather, open your hand to him…." (Deut. 15:7-8)
Rabbi Chaim Vital, who recorded the teachings of the Arizal,
tells us:
As for philanthropy and generosity, I observed that my
master was not particular that his own clothes be terribly fancy, that
he only ate a very little, and, regarding his wife's expenses, he would
dispense funds according to her wish. My master would give charity with
great joy and good-heartedness, open-handedly, and sometimes he would
not even look to see if there would be any money left for himself or
not.
My master said that every commandment is associated with
one of the twenty-two letters [of the Hebrew alphabet], and that when
someone performs a commandment, the letter associated with that commandment
shines on his forehead, replacing the letter shining on his forehead
from the previous commandment he performed. [The letter remains on his
forehead] only as long as he is performing the commandment [with which
it is associated]; afterwards it is absorbed within [him]. However,
if he performs the commandment of charity, the letter associated with
it does not disappear as fast as the letters associated with other commandments,
but rather continues to shine on his forehead the whole week. This is
the mystical meaning of the verse, "His righteousness [in Hebrew,
'tzedaka'] endures forever" (Psalms 111:3, 112:3, 9)
Regarding buying things that are used for performing the
Torah's commandments, such as a lulav and etrog, I saw that my master
would give the merchants all they asked for the first time [they named
a price], and did not try to bargain with them. Sometimes he placed
his wallet before them and told them to take what they want. He told
me that one should not bargain over the prices one pays to do mitzvot.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says the same thing in the Zohar.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reprinted with
permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California,
Inc.
Rabbi Yitzchak
Luria [...Ashkenazi ben Shlomo] (5294-5332 = 1534-1572 c.e.) Yahrtzeit
(anniversary of death): 5th of Av. Buried in the Old Cemetery of Tzfat.
Commonly known as the Ari, an acronym standing for Elohi Rabbi Yitzchak,
the G-dly Rabbi Isaac. No other master or sage ever had this extra letter
Aleph, standing for Elohi [G-dly], prefaced to his name. This was a
sign of what his contemporaries thought of him. Later generations, fearful
that this appellation might be misunderstood, said that this Aleph stood
for Ashkenazi, indicating that his family had originated in Germany,
as indeed it had. But the original meaning is the correct one, and to
this day among Kabbalists, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria is only referred to
as Rabbenu HaAri, HaAri HaKadosh [the holy Ari] or Arizal [the Ari of
blessed memory]. More...
Rabbi Moshe
Yaakov Wisnefsky is a scholar, writer, editor and anthologist. Originally
from Los Angeles, he moved to Israel in 1977, and currently lives in
Jerusalem. While living in Tsfat, he was one of the three founders of
ASCENT in 1983.
