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Why does the Torah (תורה) emphasize a poor man's blessing before mentioning the mitzvah (מצוה) of tzedakah when returning his collateral? The shiur develops from Rashi (רש"י) and Targum Yonasan ben Uziel that returning the pledge with genuine trust—treating him as creditworthy rather than as a charity case—empowers him to give a real berachah. Only when the benefactor dignifies the poor person does the sun testify that the world's purpose—justifying human existence without shame—has been fulfilled.
The shiur analyzes a mitzvah (מצוה) in Parshas Ki Seitzei regarding returning collateral to a poor person. The Torah (תורה) commands that if someone takes a pledge from a poor borrower for something essential like nighttime garments, the lender must return it each evening so the poor person can sleep in it. The possuk states: 'When the sun sets you shall return it to him, and he shall sleep in his garment and bless you, and for you it will be tzedakah before Hashem (ה׳) your God.' Rashi (רש"י) explains that the possuk mentions two rewards: first, the poor person will bless you, and second, it will be considered tzedakah. Rashi adds that even if the poor person does not bless you, it will still be tzedakah. This raises a fundamental question: why does the Torah present the poor man's blessing as the primary benefit, with tzedakah as merely a fallback? Shouldn't a mitzvah commanded by Hashem be greater than a blessing from a poor person?
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Ki Seitzei 24:12-13
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
