Ketubot 67b — the Talmud in English

And so:

A male orphan and a female orphan who came to marry, they marry off the female orphan and afterward marry off the male orphan. Because a woman’s shame is greater than a man’s:

The Sages taught: An orphan who comes to marry

a woman,

they rent a house for him, and furnish him with a bed and all his household utensils. And afterward they marry off a woman to him,

as it is stated (

Deuteronomy 15):

“Sufficient for his lack, whatever he lacks for him” —

“Sufficient for his lack”—this is the house. “Whatever he lacks”—this is a bed and table. “For him”—this is a wife.

And so it says (Genesis 2):

“I shall make for him a helper corresponding to him.”

And it is proven that “for him” means a wife.

The Sages taught: “Sufficient for his lack”—you are commanded to support him, but you are not commanded to make him rich.

But you are commanded to give him all

“whatever he lacks for him,”

even a horse to ride upon and a servant to run before him,

if he had been accustomed to this before he became poor.

They said concerning Hillel the Elder that he took for one poor person of good lineage a horse to ride upon and a servant to run before him.

On one occasion he did not find a servant to run before him, and he ran before him for three mil .

The Sages taught: There was an incident involving the people of Upper Galilee, who took for one poor person of good lineage from Sepphoris a litra of meat every day.

And we raise a difficulty:

A litra of meat—what is the novelty?

Rav Huna said: A litra of meat from birds,

whose prices are high.

And if you wish, say: With the litra

of money they would buy for him

actual meat

[and not birds]. That is, the meat was extremely expensive.

Rav Ashi said:

In truth, they gave him meat weighing a litra. Nevertheless, there was a novelty in the matter: since

there, it was a small village,

and they could not sell the remaining meat, and

every day they would cause an animal to be lost on his account

[every day they would slaughter an entire animal in order to provide him with the litra of meat to which he was accustomed, and the remaining meat would spoil].

That

poor man

who came before Rabbi Nehemiah,

and asked him to support him.

He said to him,

Rabbi Nehemiah:

“What do you dine upon?”

He said to him: “Fatty meat and old wine.”

Rabbi Nehemiah said to him:

“Do you wish to ‘roll along’”

conduct yourself

with

the eating of

lentils,

as I conduct myself, that I eat lentils?

He rolled along with him with lentils, and died.

Rabbi Nehemiah said —

Rabbi Nehemiah:

“Woe to

this man,

whom Nehemiah killed.”

And we raise a difficulty:

“On the contrary, ‘Woe to Nehemiah, whom he killed’ should have been required of him to say,”

Rabbi Nehemiah should have said this, for he died because of his suggestion that he roll along with him with lentils, and the blame for his death rests upon him!?

And we answer:

Rather,

for this reason Rabbi Nehemiah said, “Woe to this man,” for he himself was responsible for his death and not Rabbi Nehemiah —

he,

the man

himself

was responsible for his death, since

he should not have indulged himself to such an extent.

That poor man, who was sustained from charity,

who came before Rava,

who came to ask charity from him.

Rava said to him,

Rava:

“What do you dine upon?”

He said to him: “A fattened hen and old wine.”

He said to him: “And did you not fear the pressure upon the community”

[that they would have to give you food so expensive]?

He said to him: “Do I eat from theirs? I eat from the Merciful One!”

[Do I eat from the community?! Surely the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who feeds me!].

For we learned

concerning the words of the verse in the Book of Psalms [145]:

“The eyes of all look hopefully to You, and You give them their food in its time.” “In their times” is not stated, but rather “in its time.”

This teaches

the verse

that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives each and every one his sustenance in its time.

Meanwhile, Rava’s sister arrived, whom he had not seen for thirteen years, and she brought him a fattened hen and old wine

[while they were still speaking, Rava’s sister came to visit him, after not having seen him for thirteen years, and brought him a fattened hen and old wine].

Rava said

Rava:

“What is this that has come?”

[What is this thing that has come before us? Surely it is a sign from Heaven].

Rava said to him,

Rava:

“I have spoken too much to you”

[I have spoken to you more than enough],

“arise and eat.”

The Sages taught:

Whoever

does not have

enough for his sustenance

and does not wish to be supported

from charity,

they give him [the money] as a loan,

so that he will not be ashamed to take it,

and afterward they give it to him as a gift

[they do not collect the loan from him],

the words of Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say: They give it to him as a gift, and afterward they give it to him as a loan.

And we raise a difficulty: How do they give it to him

as a gift, for he does not take it

[since he does not wish to be supported from charity]?

Rava said:

The intention of the Sages is

to open to him with [the offer of] a gift,

and if he does not wish to take it, they give him a loan.

And if

he has

enough for his sustenance,

and does not wish to be supported

from his own [resources] but rather from charity, and afflicts himself with hunger so that they will give him—

they give it to him as a gift, and afterward collect it from him.

And we raise a difficulty: If

they afterward collect it from him,

what have we accomplished by giving it? For

then,

again

he does not take,

and he will die of hunger?

Rav Pappa said:

They afterward collect it from his property

after death.

Rabbi Shimon says: Whoever

has

enough

for his sustenance

and does not wish to be supported

from his own [resources] but rather from charity,

we do not attend to him.

And he will die of hunger.

And if

he does not have, and does not wish to be supported

from charity,

they say to him: “Bring collateral and take,” so that his mind will be uplifted,

and he will think that they lent to him in the manner of other people. In truth, they will not demand the loan from him.

The Sages taught:

It is stated in the Torah (Deuteronomy 15, verses 7–8): “When there will be among you a needy person ... you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your needy brother. For you shall surely open your hand to him, and you shall surely lend him sufficient for his lack, whatever he lacks for him.”

And the Sages explained:

“You shall lend” —

this is one who does not have, and does not wish to be supported

from charity,

to whom they give it as a loan, and afterward give it to him as a gift.

“You shall surely lend him” —

this is one who has, and does not wish to be supported

from his own [resources],

to whom they give it as a gift, and afterward collect it from him after death. The words of Rabbi Judah.

And the Sages say: Whoever

has

and does not wish to be supported

from his own [resources] but rather from charity,

we do not attend to him. And what, then, do I establish “You shall surely lend him”? —

The Torah spoke in the language of human beings.

And in connection with the laws of charity having been brought, the Gemara brings several incidents to teach us the excellence of charity:

Mar Ukva had a poor person in his neighborhood

[a poor person lived in his neighborhood],

who was accustomed every day to receive four zuz that he would throw for him at the door hinge

[and Mar Ukva would give him four zuz every day at the threshold of his house, without his knowing].

One day, he said

to himself, the poor man:

“I will go and see who performs this kindness for me.”

[I will go to see who does this favor for me].

That day, Mar Ukva was delayed in coming to the beit-midrash ,

and

his wife came with him

[that day, Mar Ukva was late returning from the beit-midrash, and his wife came with him in order to give the charity to their poor neighbor],

when they saw him

[Rashi’s version: “when he saw”]

casting his shadow upon the door, he went out after them; they ran from before him and entered that oven whose fire had been raked out.

[when the poor man saw their shadows upon the door, he went out to pursue them, and they fled from him and entered an oven from which the coals had been raked, and it was still glowing with heat].

The feet of Mar Ukva were being burned,

[Mar Ukva’s feet were burned by the heat, but his wife did not feel the heat].

His wife said to him: “Lift your feet and place them upon my feet.”

[His wife said to him: Lift your feet and place them upon my feet].

His mind was weakened

[Mar Ukva’s mind was weakened, and he wondered by what merit his wife did not feel the heat of the oven].

She said to him —

“I am found inside the house, and my benefit is close at hand”

[Since I am found in the house more often, I have more opportunities to perform acts of kindness. And I provide the poor with an immediate benefit, for I distribute bread, meat, and salt to them. But you give them money, and they must trouble themselves to buy the needs of the meal with the money. Therefore, I have merited a greater virtue than you].

And we raise a difficulty:

“And why all this?”

[Why did Mar Ukva and his wife bring themselves to such an extent]?

And we answer: Because

Mar Zutra bar Tuvya said in the name of Rav—and some say, Rav Huna bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon the Pious—and some say, Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai —

It is preferable for a person to cast himself into a fiery furnace rather than whiten the face of his fellow in public.

From where do we know this? From the incident of

Tamar.

For it is written (

Genesis 38):

“She was brought out,”

and she sent to her father-in-law, saying: “To the man to whom these belong—I am pregnant.” And she said: “Please recognize: To whom belong this signet, these cords, and this staff?” She did not wish to whiten his face and say, “I am pregnant by you,” but Tamar said, “To the man to whom these belong.” If he acknowledges on his own, he will acknowledge; and if not, let them burn me, but I will not whiten his face! From here the Sages said that it is preferable for a person to be cast into a fiery furnace rather than whiten his fellow’s face in public.

Another incident is brought in the Gemara:

Mar Ukva had a poor person in his neighborhood, to whom he was accustomed to send four hundred zuz every eve of Yom Kippur

[there was a poor person in Mar Ukva’s neighborhood, to whom Mar Ukva was accustomed to send four hundred zuz every eve of Yom Kippur ].

One day, he sent them to him by the hand of his son

[once, Mar Ukva sent the money by the hand of his son].

He came and said to him: “He does not need it.”

[The son returned and said that the poor man no longer needed the money].

He said

to him, Mar Ukva:

“What did you see?”

[By what did you see that he did not need it]?

His son said to him:

“I saw that they were sprinkling old wine for him.”

[I saw that they were sprinkling old wine before him].

Mar Ukva said

Mar Ukva, from this I realize that this poor man

indulges

himself

to such an extent.

He doubled them and sent them to him

[Mar Ukva doubled the sum of the money and sent it to him, in order to provide him with whatever he lacked].

When Mar Ukva’s soul was departing

Mar Ukva,

he said —

“Bring me the accounts of my charity.”

[Before his death, Mar Ukva said: “Bring me the accounts of the charity I performed during my life].

He found

[he found]

that it was written in them: seven thousand dinars of Sianki [“

Sianki” is the name of a place ].

He said —

“These are light provisions and a distant road”

[I have prepared light provisions for a distant road upon which I am departing, and I am obligated to perform more mitzvot quickly].

He arose and distributed to the poor half of his property

[he distributed half his property to charity].

And we raise a difficulty:

How did he do this? Did Rabbi Ila'i not say —

In Usha they instituted:

one who distributes his property to charity

should not distribute more than a fifth!

And how did he distribute half his property?

And we answer:

These matters

that one should not distribute more than a fifth apply

during life, lest he become impoverished; but after death —

we have no concern.

And the Gemara brings additional practices that the Sages would observe in charity:

Rabbi Abba would tie coins in his scarf, throw it behind him, and make himself available to the poor, while directing his eyes away from frauds

[he would tie zuz in his scarf and throw it behind him, so that the poor could take from it without shame, and he would pass through an impoverished area and glance behind him so that frauds would not take the money].

And likewise, an incident involving

Rabbi Hanina,

that

there was a certain poor man to whom he regularly sent four zuz every Shabbat eve [

Rabbi Hanina would send four zuz to one poor man every Shabbat eve].

One day, he sent them to him by his wife [

his wife].

She came and said to him: “He does not need [it]” [

his wife returned and said to him that the poor man was no longer in need].

Rabbi Hanina asked her -

“What did you see” [

by what did you see that he was not in need]?

She said to him -

“I heard that they were saying to him: ‘What do you dine on?’”