Lending to the Poor Is Lending to God in Midrash Tanchuma

IF YOU LEND MONEY, etc. (Exodus 22:24). Rabbi Tanchuma opened concerning it: "One who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD" (Proverbs 19:17). Everyone who lends to the poor, it is as though, as it were, he lends to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says, "One who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD, [and He will repay him his recompense]" (ibid.). Rabbi Pinchas the Priest, son of Chama, said: What is "and He will repay him his recompense"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: The soul of the poor man was seeking to depart, and you revived him. By your life, I will return to you a soul in place of a soul. Tomorrow your son or your daughter comes into liability or into death, and it will be remembered on their behalf, and I will give them a soul in place of a soul. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: By your life, you are called one who lends to Him, as it says, "lends to the LORD." You find that for all the transgressions that a person commits, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits over him in judgment, to determine how his judgment shall come forth. One who steals — the Holy One, blessed be He, sits over him in justice; and over one who commits adultery; and over one who commits a transgression. And so you find in the days of Ahab: Micaiah said, "Therefore [hear] the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting upon His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him, on His right and on His left" (1 Kings 22:19). And is there a left above? Is it not written, "Your right hand, O LORD, etc." (Exodus 15:6), and it says, "The right hand of the LORD is exalted, etc." (Psalms 118:16) — yet here it says "on His left"? What is "on His right and on His left"? [These incline to the right and these incline to the left] — these incline toward the scale of merit, and these incline toward the scale of liability. So the Holy One, blessed be He, does for all who commit a transgression: He deliberates back and forth in their judgment. But the one who lends at interest — He does not deliberate back and forth in his judgment; rather, He decrees his judgment by Himself. For thus the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the ministering angels: "He has given at usury and taken increase" (Ezekiel 18:13). Immediately the ministering angels answer: "He shall not live; he has done all these abominations; he shall surely be put to death" (ibid.). Therefore Moses said, IF YOU LEND MONEY TO MY PEOPLE.