Our town made national news this week.
I seems that last Shabbos we received more rain than any other place in the country!
Thank G-d, we've had a pretty nice winter so far. Last year was horrifically dry. But this year, we've seen plenty of rain (and some hail).
It's one of those things you learn to appreciate here. In general, we don't see a drop of rain from Pesach time until Sukkos time. I've never seen a rain cloud in the summer. The latest I remember having rain was in May a few years ago. Just one downpour. So, we have only a short window of opportunity. And if we don’t receive enough, we see the results in the prices and quality of fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
So, we will continue to daven that we should have a good year and it should be a good sign for the rest of our economy. The cost-of-living here is horrifically high, even compared to the United States, and we just had another price hike in food and utilities. So, any Help From Above is more than welcome.
Okay, on to Torah.
Yosef said to the people, "Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharoah. Here is seed for you, that you may sow the land. When the produce is gathered, you will give a fifth to Pharoah, and four parts shall be yours: as seed for the field, food for you and for those in your houses, and for your little ones to eat'. They said, 'You have kept us alive! May we find favor in my master's eyes and we will be slaves to Pharoah' (Bereishis 57:24-25)
We all know that in halacha, there are two levels of tzedakah. The minimum amount is the standard ten percent. Being, an owner of a company, after paying his workers and all his expenses, comes home with a profit. And from that profit, he has an obligation to give ten percent of it to tzedakah. Obviously, this applies to everybody, not just company owners. Any income that we bring in, we need to set aside ten percent to tzedakah.
There is also another level that is discussed but is not obligatory. It's twenty percent. Very few people do it. Once a rav, somebody, who I may note, is extremely practical, told me that he has never heard of anybody giving twenty percent, and suffering financially after.
In this week's parsha, we see the first "idea" of twenty percent coming up. Of course, it's in the form of taxes and not tzedakah, but we can still learn something from it.
When Yosef told the Egyptians that they had to give 20% of their profit to Pharoah, he was making it very clear that they belonged to Pharoah. This was not a deal of partnership, nor was this a loan. He was making a twenty percent tax demand on the people. And the people readily agreed. After all, it's either this or death by starvation.
Rav Pincus learns from this the underlying meaning of ten and twenty percent regarding tzedakah.
Hashem is saying to us, "You and I are going to form a partnership. I will give your income, and from that income, twenty perfect of your profit will belong to you and Me. Half of it is mine and I want it to go to tzedakah. The other half belongs to you, and you can do whatever you want with it.
If you decide to reinvest your money with me in our "company", I promise you that your investment will net a larger profit for you.
Like always, everybody has an obligation to give the minimum ten percent. That's a non-starter. With that you fulfill the mitzvah of giving "maiser". When you give more, you fulfill the mitzvah of giving tzedakah. And for those that can or feel that they can give twenty percent, you are fulfilling the mitzvah of "maiser" on the highest level, and your investment will always bring profit. Of course, not all of us can or feel financially comfortable doing this, however, it is still important to know and understand that there is this concept. And may we all reach a financial level, where we can give twenty percent without any worry.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!