2231 —צדקה יומית חשובה יותר מהסכום

B"H, 16 Elul, 5713.

Brooklyn.

Havavch iy"a nu"n engaged in tzt"z Moreinu HaRav Elchanan Cohen

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I was pleased to receive your letter from 8/24 in which you write about our friend, that he told you things are somewhat better, and we must hope that he will continue to do what is incumbent upon him and then surely Hashem will act many times over accordingly.

Hopefully the check he is sending is not a one-time donation. As far as I recall, I emphasized that here it is not so important how much the sum is, but mainly that every weekday something should be given to charity. Just as one cannot be satisfied today with a large meal eaten a week ago, so too with the nourishment of the soul—even though there are things one can do once and it suffices for a longer time (for example, in material matters: a house or clothing), but eating must happen every day and one cannot fulfill today's needs with yesterday's meal.

So too in matters of Torah and mitzvos: there are mitzvos done once that suffice for a long time—like the mitzvah of shofar blowing which, according to our Rebbeim's explanation, crowns Hashem as King and suffices for an entire year—but learning Torah and giving charity (at least in smaller amounts) must be done every day. Even within this there are distinctions: sometimes before Rosh Hashanah or at a time of trouble G‑d forbid or when meeting a great pauper, one must increase the amount; but this does not exempt from giving smaller sums daily (bli neder), day in and day out.

Please excuse me for writing about such simple matters, but psychologically when an idea is written or spoken it becomes clearer even to oneself. I hope our friend too—despite likely lacking patience for this—should still set aside some amount for charity each day and not suffice with giving a larger sum later on.

When Dr. Nissen Mindel returns from vacation I will gladly write a Mazal Tov regarding his son's engagement (may he live) and heartfelt thanks to you for your suggestion to do so; but as mentioned I wish to write this in English.

With blessings for being inscribed and sealed for good.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that consistent daily acts of charity are more vital than occasional large donations. Just as physical nourishment must be renewed each day, so too spiritual sustenance through Torah study and giving tzedakah should be ongoing and regular.