15:10 “נתון תתן לו ולא ירע לבבך בתתך לו, כי בגלל הדבר הזה יברכך ד' אלקיך”
You shall surely give him, and let your hearts not feel bad when you give him, for in return for this matter, Hashem your G-d will bless you.” Why is there a double Loshon of נתון תתן? Additionally, why does the Posuk say, “לבבך” – which means, “with your hearts” – Loshon Rabbim, and not “לבך” – “your heart”?
Yeshaya 55:2 (Haftorah Parshas Re’aih)
“למה תשקלו כסף בלוא לחם ויגיעכם בלוא לשבעה, שמעו שמוע אלי ואכלו טוב ותתענג בדשן נפשכם” – “Why do you not weigh out money for that which is not bread and fruit of your toil for that which does not satisfy? Listen well to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight in abundance.” One who purchases food in honor of Shabbos Kodesh has fulfilled a Mitzvah. Being that he performed a Mitzvah with the purchase of this food, the food is considered to have a Kiyum, for every Mitzvah has a Kiyum for eternity. Beitzah 16a – One purchases on Sunday an animal to eat in honor of Shabbos. After that, he finds an even nicer and better-quality animal for Shabbos Kodesh. Thus, he Shechts the first one, and eats it, and the second, better animal, he saves for Shabbos Kodesh. This keeps happening, and he keeps saving the best animal, for Shabbos Kodesh. When this happens, every single day of the week he is eating in honor of Shabbos Kodesh. The animal he is eating during the week is being eaten despite it initially being put away for Shabbos Kodesh, for he found a better one for Shabbos Kodesh. Thus, he is eating this animal so that he can save the better one for Shabbos Kodesh. All his eating, even during the week, is in honor of Shabbos Kodesh, and being that it is all for a Mitzvah, it all has a Kiyum.
Conversely, there are people who don’t consider honoring Shabbos Kodesh, and even that which they purchase for Shabbos Kodesh is not really in honor of Shabbos Kodesh, rather their focus is to have physical pleasure from it, then that which they eat, even what they eat on Shabbos Kodesh, it does not have a Kiyum. This is what the Posuk is telling us here, “למה תשקלו כסף בלוא לחם” – Why are you wasting your money purchasing bread, “ויגיעכם בלוא לשבעה” – for you are not doing so for, “שבעה” – for the seventh day of the week – for Shabbos Kodesh. Therefore, “שמעו שמוע אלי ואכלו טוב” – a double Loshon of listening referring to speech and intentions, that one should say and have the proper intentions that all of his eating during the week is all L’kovod Shabbos Kodesh, then, “ותתענג בדשן נפשכם” – your soul will delight in abundance. (ברכת חיים)
This Posuk of נתון תתן can be explained based on the words of the Rambam in Meseches Avos 3:16. The Mishna says, “הכל לפי רוב המעשה” – it is all according to the actions. One cannot compare one who gives once, to one who gives many times. One can say, why not give everything that I am prepared to give to one person, and be done with it. One must know that the more times one gives, the more he becomes a giver. Thus, if one can give 10 coins to one poor person, or 1 coin to ten poor people, one should give 1 coin to ten people, for that will make the person into more of a giver. “נתון תתן” – keep giving more and more, “ואל ירע לבבך” and do not say that I will only give once, and that’s it, for the more times one gives the more he becomes a giver. The Gemara in Bava Basra 9b says that one who gives a Perutah to a poor person is blessed with six Brochos. “והמפייסו” – One who consoled him with words of comfort and encouragement receives eleven Brochos. Thus, one who gives money to a poor a person, and also consoles him with words receives seventeen Brochos. Thus, the Torah tells us, “נתון תתן” – there are two things that one should give: one should give money to the poor, and should also give them words of encouragement and consolation. If one does so, “כי בגלל הדבר הזה” – because of these, “הדבר” – these extra words, הזה – one will receive seventeen Brochos, the Gematria of, “הזה” – “יברכך ד' אלקיך” – Hashem will bless you with. (רמת שמואל)
Chazal tell us that when one performs Mitzvos, it blesses those who perform them. The Torah is alluding to this here, “נתון” – if you give, “תתן” – you will have more to give. “פתוח” – if your hand is open, “תפתח” – you will open it to more, for you will have more to give. (פני דוד)
6:5 “ואהבת את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך” – “You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all of your heart.” The Gemara in Brochos 54a says, “מהו בכל לבבך? בשני יצריך, ביצר הטוב וביצר הרע” – “What do the words, ‘’With all of your hearts’ mean? It means that you should serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu with two Yetzers: With your Yetzer Hatov, and your Yetzer Hara.” The Gemara tells us that one is also supposed to serve Hakodosh Boruch hu with his Yetzer Hara. How is one to do this? It says in Meseches Avos 4:1 “איזהו גבור, הכובש את יצרו” – “Who is the mighty one, one who controls his Yetzer.” The Tanna uses a Loshon of being “כובש” ones Yetzer, and not to be מתגבר. The Loshon of כובש is not for one to just push away his enemy, but to conquer him, meaning to take control of the enemy, put him in chains and then completely control him. This is what the Tanna is telling us, that one needs to completely be כובש his Yetzer Hara, so that the Yetzer Hara works for him. There are three Middos which take a person out of this world: קנאה, תאוה, והכבוד – Jealousy, base desires, and honor. Why do these three Middos take a person out of this world? It is because they have absolutely no boundaries; one can never complete fulfilling these Middos, always wanting more. The Midah of jealousy is one where everything the person sees, he wants. He always wants what everyone and anyone else has, and is never content. The Midah of Ta’avah, base desire, the Gemara in Kesubos 67a says, “אין אדם מת וחצי תאוותו בידו” – that when one dies, he still has yet to fulfill half of his desires – meaning that it is never ending, and one is always looking to fulfill more of his desires. If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. The Midah of Kovod, honor, also has no boundaries, as one can look at all situations and continue to command that he receive honor in all situations. There is never an end to it. However, with all of this said, one cannot completely remove himself from these three Middos, for if one does so, he will not be able to completely fulfill the Rotzon Hashem. One should have קנאת סופרים, being jealous of those who know and learn Torah, so that he will seek to learn more. One should have some Ta’avah, so that he has Oneg Shabbos, and other such Mitzvos. One needs to have some Kovod, so that he believes that he is honorable enough not to transgress sins. So, while these Middos may inherently be bad, for they have no boundaries, in a very controlled way, they can and should be used in Avodas Hashem. This is what the Torah is telling us when it says that one is to serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu בכל לבבך – with both of one’s Yetzers, and to do so by being כובש his Yetzer Hara. One must seek to control his Yetzer Hara, so that he uses those Middos which are very dangerous, but when used in moderation, and in a controlled manner, it can further one’s Avodas Hashem. (חסדי אבות)
There is a double Loshon of נתון תתן for one should give with both his Yetzer Tov and his Yetzer Hara. As the Posuk continues, that neither one of your hearts should feel bad that you gave to the pauper. It is a great Avodah to completely control your Yetzer Hara, to the degree that you are serving Hakodosh Boruch Hu with the Yetzer Hara. You use the Yetzer Hara to spend time working, so that you can earn money – but then take from that money and give it to the poor and needy. May we be Zoche to truly serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu, בכל לבבך – with our entire hearts.
