יורה דעה רנ״גYoreh De'ah 253

Se’if 1א׳

מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מְזוֹן שְׁתֵּי סְעֻדּוֹת, לֹא יִטֹּל מֵהַתַּמְחוּי. מְזוֹן י"ד סְעֻדּוֹת, לֹא יִטֹּל מֵהַקֻפָּה. וְאִם יֵשׁ לוֹ ר' זוּז, וְאֵינוֹ נוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בָּהֶם, אוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ חֲמִשִּׁים זוּז וְהוּא נוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בָּהֶם, לֹא יִטֹּל צְדָקָה. וְאִם יֵשׁ לוֹ ר' זוּז חָסֵר דִּינָר, וְאֵינוֹ נוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בָּהֶם, אֲפִלוּ נוֹתְנִים לוֹ אֶלֶף זוּז בְּבַת אַחַת, הֲרֵי זֶה יִטֹּל. הַגָּה: וּמִי שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ מִבֵּיתוֹ וְנוֹסֵעַ מֵעִיר לְעִיר לְקַבֵּץ, כָּל הַדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה בְּדַעְתּוֹ לִסַּע כְּשֶׁהָלַךְ מִבֵּיתוֹ, נִקְרָא פַּעַם אַחַת. וַאֲפִלּוּ נָתְנוּ לוֹ ר' זוּז בְּעִיר אַחַת יָכוֹל לְקַבֵּל יוֹתֵר, וּמִכָּאן וָאֵילָךְ אָסוּר (מָרְדְּכַי פ"ק דב"ב בְּשֵׁם אוֹר זָרוּעַ). וְאִם יֵשׁ לוֹ הַרְבֵּה וְהוּא עָלָיו בְּחוֹב, אוֹ שֶׁמְּמֻשְׁכָּן לִכְתֻבַּת אִשְׁתּוֹ, הֲרֵי זֶה יִטֹּל. וְאִם יֵשׁ לוֹ בַּיִת וּכְלֵי בַּיִת הַרְבֵּה, וְאֵין לוֹ ר' זוּז, הֲרֵי זֶה יִטֹּל, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לִמְכֹּר כְּלֵי בֵּיתוֹ וְאֲפִלוּ הֵם שֶׁל כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים, בִּכְלֵי אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וּמַלְבּוּשׁ וּמַצָּעוֹת וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן, אֲבָל מַגְרֵדָה אוֹ עֱלִי שֶׁהֵם שֶׁל כֶּסֶף, מוֹכְרָם, וְלֹא יִטֹּל מֵהַצְּדָקָה. וְהָא דְּאֵין מְחַיְּבִים אוֹתוֹ לִמְכֹּר כְּלֵי תַּשְׁמִישׁוֹ שֶׁל כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב, דַּוְקָא כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לִטֹּל מֵהַקֻפָּה אֶלָא נוֹטֵל בַּסֶתֶר מִיְּחִידִים. אֲבָל אִם בָּא לִטֹּל מֵהַקֻפָּה שֶׁל צְדָקָה, לֹא יִתְּנוּ לוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּמְכֹּר כֵּלָיו. הַגָּה: וְכֵן בְּמָקוֹם דְּאִכָּא תַּקָּנָה שֶׁלֹּא לִתֵּן צְדָקָה לְמִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ דָּבָר קָצוּב, אֵין חוֹשְׁבִין לוֹ בֵּית דִּירָה וּכְלֵי תַּשְׁמִישָׁיו. (מָרְדְּכַי רֵישׁ פ"ק דב"ק). וְכָל מִי שֶׁהוּא עָשִׁיר, אָסוּר לִתֵּן לְבָנָיו, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֵם גְּדוֹלִים, אִם הֵם סְמוּכִים עַל שֻׁלְחַן אֲבִיהֶם (מָרְדְּכַי פ"ק דב"מ בב"י סי' רנ"ב). וְכָל זֶה דַּוְקָא דֶּרֶךְ צְדָקָה, אֲבָל דֶּרֶךְ דּוֹרוֹן וְכָבוֹד יָכוֹל לְקַבֵּל אָדָם, כִּדְאָמְרִינַן הָרוֹצֶה לֵהָנוֹת יֶהֱנֶה כֶּאֱלִישָׁע. (מָרְדְּכַי מֵהַגָּהוֹת דב"ק).

One who has food for two meals shall not take from the tamchui (the dish of food doled out to the poor day by day); food for fourteen meals, he shall not take from the kupah (the fund out of which the poor of the town are supported week by week). And if he has two hundred zuz and does not do business with them, or he has fifty zuz and does business with them, he shall not take charity. And if he has two hundred zuz less a dinar and does not do business with them, even if they give him a thousand zuz at one time, this one may take. Hagah [Rema]: And one who goes out from his house and travels from city to city to collect — the whole journey that he had in mind to travel when he went out from his house counts as a single time. And even if they gave him two hundred zuz in one city, he may receive more, and from then on it is forbidden (Mordechai, first chapter of Bava Batra, in the name of Or Zarua). And if he has much, but it is upon him as a debt, or it is pledged for his wife's ketubah (the sum settled upon her in her marriage contract), this one may take. And if he has a house and many household vessels, and does not have two hundred zuz, this one may take, and he need not sell his household vessels, even if they are of silver and gold. In what case are these words said? With vessels for eating and drinking, and clothing, and bedding, and the like; but a scraper or a pestle that are of silver, he sells them, and he shall not take from the charity. And that they do not oblige him to sell his implements of silver and gold — this is specifically so long as he does not need to take from the kupah but takes in secret from private individuals; but if he comes to take from the kupah of charity, they shall not give to him until he sells his vessels. Hagah [Rema]: And likewise, in a place where there is an enactment not to give charity to one who has a fixed sum, they do not reckon against him his dwelling house and his implements (Mordechai, the beginning of the first chapter of Bava Kamma). And anyone who is rich — it is forbidden to give to his sons, even though they are grown, if they are supported at their father's table (Mordechai, first chapter of Bava Metzia, in Beit Yosef, siman 252). And all this is specifically by way of charity; but by way of a gift and of honour a man may receive, as we say: one who wishes to take benefit, let him take benefit, as Elisha did (Mordechai, from the Hagahot on Bava Kamma).

Se’if 2ב׳

וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֶמְרוּ הַשִּׁעוּרִים הַלָלוּ אֶלָא בִּימֵיהֶם, אֲבָל בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה יָכוֹל לִטֹּל עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ קֶרֶן כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְפַּרְנֵס הוּא וּבְנֵי בֵּיתוֹ מֵהָרֶוַח. וּדְבָרִים שֶׁל טַעַם הֵם.

There are this who say that these amounts were only stated for their own day, however, at this time a person may receive until they have enough that a person and his family can be sustained on its profits. Thee words are sensible.

Se’if 3ג׳

מִי שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ קַרְקָעוֹת וְאִם יִמְכְּרֵם בִּימוֹת הַגְשָׁמִים יִמְכְּרֵם בְּזוֹל, וְאִם יַנִּיחֵם עַד יְמוֹת הַחַמָּה מוֹכְרָן בְּשָׁוְיָן, אֵין מְחַיְּבִין אוֹתוֹ לִמְכֹּר אֶלָא מַאֲכִילִין אוֹתוֹ מַעֲשַׂר עָנִי עַד חֲצִי דְּמֵיהֶם, וְלֹא יִדְחֹק עַצְמוֹ וְיִמְכֹּר שֶׁלֹּא בִּזְמַן מְכִירָה (ל' הָרַמְבַּ"ם פ"ט מהל' מ"ע דִּין י"ז). וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאֵין מַאֲכִילִין אוֹתוֹ רַק עַד שֶׁיָּכוֹל לִמְכֹּר קַרְקָעוֹתָיו בַּחֲצִי דְּמֵיהֶן (טוּר וּשְׁאָר הַרְבֵּה פּוֹסְקִים). הָיוּ שְׁאָר הָאָדָם לוֹקְחִים בְּיֹקֶר וְהוּא אֵינוֹ מוֹצֵא מִי שֶׁיִּקַח מִמֶּנּוּ אֶלָא בְּזוֹל, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא דָּחוּק וְטָרוּד, אֵין מְחַיְּבִים אוֹתוֹ לִמְכֹּר, אֶלָא אוֹכֵל מַעֲשַׂר עָנִי, וְהוֹלֵךְ עַד שֶׁיִּמְכֹּר בְּשָׁוֶה, וְיֵדְעוּ הַכֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ דָּחוּק לִמְכֹּר.

One who had lands, and if he sells them in the rainy season he will sell them cheaply, and if he leaves them until the summer season he sells them at their worth — they do not oblige him to sell; rather they feed him poor man's tithe up to half their value, and he shall not press himself and sell out of the season of selling (the language of the Rambam, chapter 9 of the Laws of Gifts to the Poor, law 17). And there are those who say that they feed him only until he is able to sell his lands at half their value (Tur and many other poskim). If other people were buying dear, and he finds no one who will buy from him except cheaply, because he is pressed and harried, they do not oblige him to sell; rather he eats poor man's tithe, and goes on until he sells at the worth and all know that he is not pressed to sell.