We find a powerful starting point in Leviticus 25:35: “If your brother will become poor, and his means fail in proximity to you; you shall support him, stranger or resident alien, and he shall live with you.” The ancient rabbis saw in this verse a profound connection between our actions and our well-being. Vayikra Rabbah 34, a midrash, or interpretation, on the book of Leviticus, dives deep into this idea, unpacking the verse and linking it to the promise of happiness found in Psalm 41:2: “Happy is one who attends to the indigent; the Lord will deliver him on a day of evil.” But what does it mean to attend to the indigent?
Abba bar Yimeya, quoting Rabbi Meir, suggests it’s about “crowning the good inclination over the evil inclination.” In other words, choosing compassion over selfishness. Isi says it's as simple as giving a peruta, the smallest denomination of currency, to the poor. Rabbi Yoḥanan takes a different tack, saying it's about burying an unattended corpse – performing a final act of kindness for someone completely alone. These are all powerful acts of chesed, loving-kindness.
Then the Rabbis chime in, offering a politically charged interpretation: it's about extricating oneself from tyrants. According to some commentaries, this means refusing to participate in an oppressive regime, choosing integrity over power. (Etz Yosef). It's a reminder that helping others sometimes means standing up to injustice.
Rav Huna adds another dimension: visiting the sick. He even claims that each visit subtracts one-sixtieth of the sick person's illness! Now, some challenged this idea. Imagine sixty people visiting and magically curing someone instantly! Rav Huna clarifies that while a single visit might not cure everything, these visits still benefit the sick. They offer comfort, connection, and a reminder that they are not forgotten.
Each of these interpretations is then linked back to Psalm 41. If you crown the good inclination, “The Lord will protect him.” If you give a peruta, “And will sustain him.” If you bury the forgotten, “He will be made happy in the earth.” If you stand against tyrants, “You will not submit him to the will of his enemies.” And if you visit the sick, “The Lord will support him on a sickbed.” It's a beautiful chain of action and consequence, reminding us that our kindness ripples outward, affecting not only others but ourselves as well.
Rabbi Yona offers a particularly poignant example. He emphasizes that the verse doesn't say "happy is one who gives to the indigent," but rather "happy is one who attends to the indigent." It's not just about the act of giving, but about truly seeing the person in need. He describes how, when he encountered a once-wealthy individual who had fallen on hard times and was too ashamed to accept charity, he devised a clever plan. He would offer the person a loan, pretending to believe they had inherited money from overseas. When the person tried to repay the loan, Rabbi Yona would then reveal it was a gift. This is the kind of thoughtful, compassionate action that truly embodies "attending to the indigent."
Rabbi Levi, citing Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina, makes a powerful point: the word "Happy" (ashrei) appears twenty-two times in scripture, but only this instance – the one connected to helping the indigent – promises a reward: “The Lord will deliver him.”
What does this all mean for us today? It’s a reminder that helping others isn't just a nice thing to do; it’s an integral part of our own well-being. It's about choosing compassion, standing up for justice, and truly seeing the people around us. It’s about recognizing that when we lift others up, we also lift ourselves. As Moses cautions: "If your brother becomes poor…" it is an if that is also a when. How will we respond?