If there shall be a destitute person among you... Giving, you shall give him, and let your heart not feel bad when you give him, for because of this matter, Hashem will bless you in all your deeds and in your every undertaking.
We need to understand the specific choice of words that the Torah uses in this Passuk. When the Torah describes the mitzvah of tzedakah, it does so in a repetitious form, נתון תתן לו - Giving, you shall give him; what is the Torah trying to teach us through this reiteration? Secondly, when blessing the one who gives tzedakah, the Torah says, הדברכי בגלל יברכך ה' אלוקיךהזה - ‘for because of this matter, Hashem will bless you’; it seems that the Torah is specifically excluding some other good deed which doesn’t necessarily bring about Hashem’s exclusive blessing. Which is this other good deed that the Passuk is referring to, for which one doesn’t deserve Hashem’s exclusive blessing?
The fundamental mitzvah of Tzedakah is for one to take from his own money and give it to his Jewish brother who is in need. Although this Mitzvah applies to every Jew in every situation, there are nevertheless two factors upon which the observance of this mitzvah is dependent.
The first factor is the giver’s financial means; for every Jew is commanded to give tzedakah according to his resources. Accordingly, one who is blessed with abundance is required to contribute abundantly, according to his wealth, while one who is blessed with less, is also required to only give according to his financial means. There is however an additional factor, for which one gives tzedakah even more than that which his financial status would generally require of him. When the funds that were contributed according to the giver’s means don’t suffice to fill the needs of the deprived, one should give even more than his standard requirements.
In summary, we can say that the first obligation is dependent on no factor other than one’s personal financial blessings and success, while the second obligation isn’t dependent at all on the means of the giver, rather is dependent solely on the needs of the poor.
When the Torah repeats the commandment of giving tzedakah, it is actually a reference to these two obligations. The first expression, נתון - giving, refers to the general obligation where one is obligated to give tzedakah according to his financial means, while the second expression, תתן לו - you shall give him, refers to the circumstance where one should give according to the needs of the poor people. It is for this reason indeed, that when referring to the second factor, the Torah writes תתן לו - you shall give him, for this obligation isn’t dependent on the means of the giver, rather is dependent solely on the needs of the one accepting the tzedakah.
According to this we can explain the ensuing blessing which follows the Torah’s directive of the second element of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah, יברכך ה' אלוקיךהדבר הזהכי בגלל - for because of this matter, Hashem will bless you, which clearly seems to be excluding another good deed for which one doesn’t necessarily receive Hashem’s exclusive blessings. This is because when one gives tzedakah according to his financial success, there is no reason for him to expect any additional blessing, as he only contributed according to the blessings which he has already been blessed with. It is only when one fulfills the second obligation and gives above his means, essentially contributing beyond his current blessings, that the Torah tells him that he can expect Hashem to bless his earnings, so that his financial blessings should increase to match the bracket according to which he contributed.
זרע שמשון פרשתנו אות ז
