Sefer Bina L’Itim (Chelek 2, Drush 2) relates the following: If a person has too much money, he is like someone who has too much blood in his body. Just like an excess of blood harms the body and can cause an infection, too much money can also harm and infect a person with sins like theft. Just like an excess of blood must be treated by letting out some of the blood, an excess of money must be treated by removing some of it from one’s possession and giving it to tzedakah. That is the treatment a person who has the malady of having too much money must undergo.
Money is called “damim“, as it is comparable to blood (“dam“) in the sense that too much of it is bad for a person and must be removed. The Torah tells us that having too much money can lead to severe aveiros (Devarim 8:13). Therefore, if one has this sickness, he should run to get rid of the excess money immediately by giving it to charity. By doing so, one shows that he doesn’t credit his money to himself. Rather, he recognizes that it was given to him by Hashem and he is merely the appointed guardian to distribute it. Once one does this, he won’t come to sin through his money.
It is related that a man once came to the Sanzer Rov zy”a and asked for a bracha. He related that he was suffering from a swollen leg. The Rov told him to give away half of his assets to charity, and this would be the medicine he needed.
The Rov’s son, the Gorlitzer Rov zy”a, later asked him what his source was for this treatment. He answered, “It worked for me. I once noticed that my wallet was too swollen, so I took out half of the money and it immediately went back to its normal size.”
