In the Jewish cemetery of Vilna, there are two brothers buried next to each other. Their graves both display glowing descriptions of their character and kindness. Interestingly, the two graves each contain half of a posuk from the aishes chayil inscribed on them. One grave reads “kapah parsah leani,” (She extends her palm to the poor) and the second grave reads “yadeha shilchah laevyon,” (she stretches her hand to the poor.)
There’s a beautiful story behind these unusual tombstones. These two brothers were prominent Torah scholars and generous philanthropists. They were known to give tzedakah with an open hand. However, there came a time when their fortunes changed and their business took a terrible turn for the worst.
Despite their personal hardships, they continued giving as much tzedakah as they could. At some point, all their money had already been distributed, and so they resorted to giving away the silver in their cabinets. One day, they were approached by two families in need. They had no money left to give them. The only thing left in their silver cabinet was a silver serving spoon.
What could they do? The brothers, unable to bear the thought of the poor families leaving empty handed, made a selfless decision. They took their last spoon and split it in half. One brother gave away the handle, and the other gave away the circular spoon. The verse from eishes chayil is a wordplay describing this very story.
Kapah parsah leani, veyadeha sholcha laevyon. Kapah means palm, but it could also mean the circular spoon. Yadeha means hand, but it could also mean the handle. Their graves had this verse inscribed to memorialize their extraordinary largesse of spirit. It celebrated the selfless approach of these two brothers, giving away all they had to their brethren in need.
I’m reminded of this story by a seeming redundancy in this week’s parshah. When describing the mitzvah of Tzedakah, the posuk states, “If there is a pauper among you, one of your brethren, do not harden your heart nor close your hand tight against your impoverished brother.” Seemingly, this describes tzedakah to the T.
But then the posuk continues, “For you shall surely open your hand to him.” What is the second posuk adding? When we think of tzedaka, we tend to translate it as charity. Charity is an act of benevolent giving. If we have a good month in business, we give. If we have a successful deal, we distribute to the needy.
But tzedakah is much more than that. We don’t give because we have extra. We give because we can’t imagine not giving. When it comes to tzedakah, there is the letter of the law that requires us to give maaser. And then there’s the spirit of the law. that we can give up to 20%. And then there’s going beyond the spirit of the law.
We’re not giving because we have to. We’re not giving because we’re supposed to. We’re giving because there’s another person in need. Giving tzedakah is not only charitable or right. It’s about feeling the other person’s plight. That’s what the brothers in Vilna personified. It was never about what they could afford or what they had to give.
Giving tzedakah was the only way they knew how to live. This is what the Torah is telling us. Open your heart and your hands will be open. Tzedakah should become a part of your life because in Judaism, to live is to give.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.
