6073 - Lessons in Charity from the Sabbatical Year

Holy letters of the Rebbe in volume 16, letter number 6,073, Baruch Hashem, the 23rd of Shevat, 5718, Brooklyn, New York. And the Rebbe is addressing it to the leadership of the organization of Gemilas Chasodim Shomrei Shabbos. They were a free-loan society, and their name was Gemilas Chasodim that keep Shabbos. Hashem Aleihem Yichyu, Shalom u'Bracha. That was the name of the organization.

 

And the Rebbe says it was pleasant to me to receive your letter dated the 22nd of Shevat, which was a report about the activities of the organization, your holy work, act of kindness. And act of kindness, we know, it says the reward that you eat the fruits in this world—that's the extra benefits—but the principal stays for the world to come. So it's a tremendous reward for this act of kindness.

 

I also got the news about your annual meeting, Motzei Shabbos Kodesh, in which we bless the month of Adar which is coming upon us. In this year is the 49th year, 7 times 7, I guess since the establishment of the free-loan society that they had over there. So it is the 49th which would be 7 times 7 years. And based on the saying of my Ba'al Shem Tov, that many times we heard it from the previous Rebbe, my father-in-law, that from everything we need to learn something in our service of Hashem.

 

So the Rebbe says we can also say in connection with this, that this year, which is the year 5718—that's 5,718—is the sixth year to the Shmita, according to the opinion of the Geonim, which means you have the... every year is a... is divided as one of the seven years of a cycle, and this year is the sixth year of the cycle. And the next year will be, I guess, the Shmita year will be in 5719. And their opinion is brought down as a ruling in the Shulchan Aruch, in the Shulchan HaTahor, the pure Shulchan of the Alter Rebbe in the laws of Halvaa, Siman Lamed-Vav.

 

And what does the Torah say especially about the sixth year of Shmita? The Torah says that, "Korva Shnat HaSheva Shnat HaShmita," and so on. People say, "Well, the seventh year, the year of Shmita has come close," and people are afraid that the loan will be canceled because the seventh year cancels loans. I mean, there's ways around it, but technically the seventh year cancels loans. So if a person says, the verse says, "I ain't gonna loan it because the seventh year's gonna cancel," the Torah says no. "Nason Titen Lo," you should give him, still give him.

 

And that's not sufficient, but there is a additional condition. Not just give it to him, "V'lo Yera Levavcha BeSitcha Lo," don't feel bad when you give it to him. Oh, don't say, "Oh, I have to do the Torah tells me to do it." The Torah gives you the reward right there. In the, on the side when the Torah tells you to give it, the Pasuk concludes, "Yevarechecha Hashem Elokecha Bechol Ma'asecha Bechol Mishlach Yadecha." That G-d your G-d will bless you in everything that you do, in everything that you put forth your hands you'll be successful.

 

So basically, here the Torah specifically talks about this loans, and the Torah tells you, don't be afraid that you might lose out because the reward for the Mitzvah, it's not only you should do it, but you shouldn't feel bad because you're getting a lot more. The G-d is blessing you because of that.

 

And the Rebbe says he prays, even though these verses speak for themselves, and they talk in a time when not everybody is doing Hashem's will, as the Pasuk says afterwards, "Ki Lo Yechdal Evyon," that there will always be people that are poor. Why is there poor? Because not everybody's doing the will of Hashem. And as the Sages tell us in the Sifrei there, uh, that when is there going to be... because in some places it says there won't be a poor person, and in other people, places it says there will be poor people, and the Sifrei says that it depends if we do the will of Hashem.

 

But since this Pasuk is talking about when people don't do the will of Hashem, and still we say that we have to give people, and you have to help them, and you have to give them. The Rebbe says based on the words of the Mishnah, "Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah," one Mitzvah leads to another Mitzvah, especially the Mitzvah of Gemilas Chasodim and Tzedakah which is equal to all the Mitzvot.

 

This should be and this should bring that we're gonna start doing the will of Hashem, and then the promise "Lo Yiyeh Becha Evyon," because the other Pasuk says there won't be a poor person, we'll merit that also. The Rebbe blessed them with success in their holy work in a wide way, a true wide way physically and spiritually. And the Rebbe in '52 is also attaching his personal check as his participation in their holy work.

 

And this is what the Rebbe is writing to them, telling them how important it is. They're celebrating 49 years of their foundation of this free-loan society. And the Rebbe says this year is the sixth year, and on the sixth year we have a special command to borrow, to lend. And even though people are not so pious, so the Rebbe says this should bring from this to another Mitzvah, to do the will of Hashem, and where there will be no people that will need, everybody will have. The Rebbe blesses them in the holy work in a grandeur way with the Rebbe's participation.