Let's dive into a passage from Shemot Rabbah (chapter 31) that grapples with this very issue.
The passage begins by referencing the verse, "If you lend money to My people..." (Exodus 22:24). But it quickly shifts to a fascinating anecdote about King Solomon and his prayer during the construction of the Temple. Solomon, in his wisdom, petitions God: "Master of the universe, if there is a person who prays before You that You should give him money, and You know that it will be harmful for him, do not give it to him. If you see a person for whom wealth is becoming, give it to him." It’s a pretty radical idea, right? That God should be discerning about who receives wealth, based on whether it will ultimately benefit them. It’s based on the verse: “You shall give that man according to his ways, as You know his heart” (I Kings 8:39; II Chronicles 6:30).
The text then contrasts the seeming unfairness of this world – "In this world, the wicked are wealthy and live in tranquility and serenity, and the righteous are poor" – with the justice that awaits in the future. The Midrash paints a vivid picture of the wicked, who consumed usury (neshekh) and interest, gnawing at their own flesh in the world to come. They’ll lament, "If only we had been laborers… if only we had been slaves…" finding a simple life preferable to their ill-gotten gains. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4:5-6, “The fool folds his hands, and eats his own flesh… A handful of tranquility is preferable to two handfuls of toil and herding wind.”
This brings us back to the initial verse about lending money. Israel asks God, "Who are your people?" And God responds, "The poor," referencing Isaiah 49:13: "For the Lord has comforted His people and He will be merciful to His poor." What a powerful statement! God identifies with the vulnerable, the marginalized.
The Midrash then makes a sharp contrast between human nature and God's nature. A human being, it says, might ignore their poor relatives, quoting Proverbs 19:7: "All the brethren of the poor hate him." But God? God is different. "The wealth and the honor are from before You," as we find in I Chronicles 29:12, "and He shelters only the poor," echoing Isaiah 14:32: "For the Lord has established Zion and in it the poor of His people will be sheltered.” It's a reminder that true compassion and empathy are divine qualities that we should strive to emulate.
The passage concludes with a prayer from David: "Master of the universe, let Your world be settled in peace," based on Psalms 61:8. God responds that the world's stability depends on "kindness and truth," suggesting that a world of perfect equality would actually remove the opportunity for acts of kindness and charity. Without those in need, how could we express our compassion and fulfill our moral obligations?
So, what does all this mean for us today? It's a call to examine our own attitudes toward wealth, poverty, and lending. Are we contributing to a system that perpetuates inequality, or are we actively working to create a more just and compassionate world? Are we like the humans who shun their poor relatives, or are we striving to emulate God, who shelters the vulnerable? It’s not just about the money; it’s about our hearts.