The Chazon Ish writes the following in a letter (Igros vol.1 123): "You have to develop the attribute of feeling the tzaar of others, and to join them in their distress. The counsel to attain these feelings is the hishtadlus you do to relieve someone from his tzaar. Your actions, which demonstrate caring, will influence the heart. You should also daven for others – even if right now, you don't really care. Even so, you should daven for others, and this approach will help you truly care for them. Do so, even if the person who has tzaar is a regular person, and even if he is a lowly person." This counsel is based on the principle הלבבות נמשכות הפעולות אחר, that the heart is affected by one's deeds. By doing deeds or saying tefillos that show concern for one’s fellow man, he begins to become sensitive and caring for others.
One example of this principle is to collect money for the poor and needy. Chazal (Bava Basra 9) teach us, העושה מן יותר המעשה גדול, "Causing others to give tzedakah is a greater mitzvah than giving tzedakah yourself."
Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zy'a says, "Going around the four corners of the city to collect money for the poor atones for very grave sins that deserve the four deaths issued by beis din."
Reb Aharon of Belz zy'a said, "Going from door to door collecting money for the poor frees a person from kares." The shame one endures by performing this mitzvah atones and purifies.
The Aruch HaShulchan (247:5) writes, "I received a kabbalah that when one collects money for others, this protects his future generations that they will never need to collect money for themselves."
Reb Getzel Berger z'l from London (niftar 1977/ח"תשל) was a wealthy Satmar chasid who gave large sums of money to tzedakah. The Satmar Rebbe zy'a once asked him to encourage other rich people to donate to tzedakah in addition to giving tzedakah. Reb Getzel replied that he preferred to give more money for tzedakah than to solicit others, but the Rebbe insisted that he also ask other wealthy people for donations.
As we explained above, one of the benefits of collecting money for others is that you are training yourself to feel their pain.
There are other forms of chesed that one can be involved in. Someone asked the Chazon Ish zt'l why he spends so much time hearing people's problems and giving them counsel. Wouldn’t it be better if he used this time studying Torah?
The Chazon Ish replied that if he had a lot of money, he would spend a lot of his time distributing the money to the poor. But he doesn't have a lot of money, so this is his way of helping others.
