Will the money accompany you when you leave this world? "The poor man is with you." Only the good deeds you will take with you, and this is the charity that you gave to the poor, only this will be with you, and they will accompany you at the time of your death.
There is a story about a very wealthy man who had a God-fearing wife and a valiant woman who took care of the house and her husband. She always tried to prepare him good food, a chicken with all kinds of spices, so that he could satisfy his palate and eat for satiety. But they had no children. One day, a poor man knocked on the door of their house at noon, and they were sitting at the table and eating. The rich man said to his wife, "Go and see who the it is." The woman opened it and saw a poor man standing and asking for a piece of bread. She informed her husband, who said to her: Tell the poor that there is nothing. The woman, against her will, did as her husband commanded. But the poor man did not move from there, but shouted that he was hungry and that they should give him a piece of bread and a cup of water to restore his life, for he had not had food in his mouth for a whole day and was about to die. The rich man got up and shouted and cursed and threw the poor man out of the door of his house and said to him, "Did I not tell you that there is nothing?" Then he returned to his table and continued to eat as if nothing had happened. And he did not remember all the wealth that he had is from the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name be praised forever.
The next day, he went to work as usual, but he was surprised that his livelihood was not the same as before. His wheel of fortune began to go back and forth, and from day to day, he became worse. Instead of making a profit, he only lost and slowly lost all his wealth. He began to sell his household utensils to obtain a piece of bread for himself and his wife, until there was nothing left in the house. When he saw this, he said to his wife: "Listen to my advice, get a divorce from me and go to your father's house." There you will be able to revive your soul. The woman received a divorce and returned to her father's house.
Since the woman was still young, matchmakers came, and finally she married a good man and behaved with him as she had treated her first husband, and prepared him delicious food. One day, when they were sitting to eat, a poor man knocked on the door. The woman opened the door and told her husband that a poor man was asking for something to eat. The husband immediately took a loaf of bread and half a chicken from the table and gave it to his wife to give to the poor man. When the woman returned to the table, her eyes were teary, and she could not hold back her tears. When her husband asked the meaning of the matter and begged her to tell him, she said that this poor man was her first husband, and woe to her for seeing him. When her husband heard this, he said to her, "Do you know who I am? I am the same poor man who came to your house and shouted that I was hungry, and your husband came and threw me out of the door of his house."
May His name be praised forever, the Holy One, blessed be He, raises from meager dust and from dung raises up the poor. We learn from this story how great the mitzva of charity is, and if a poor person asks for a piece of bread, he must be given it. For who knows what state he is in, for whoever saves one life from Israel, it is as if there is a whole world.
