4833 —פעולות מתוך מרה לבנה ובשמחה, ומעלת נתינת הצדקה בפעמים רבות

B"H, 13 Marcheshvan, 5717

Brooklyn.

To the Rav and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, who is occupied with communal needs, Rabbi Mordechai Dov, may he live

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In reply to the notice of your safe arrival at your destination: you surely remember what was spoken before your journey, that your activities should be with a cheerful spirit^[1] and with joy, and that through this there will be an increase not only in spiritual sowing but also in the gathering of material means.

In reply to the question in your letter, how to conduct yourself in giving charity so that it accords with what is said in Igeres HaKodesh about the virtue of the mitzvah of charity done many times^[2]: the matter is explained in Levushei Serad, which the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek quoted on this subject, now printed in the maamar beginning "To understand the saying of our Sages that each and every perutah, etc."^[3]. Since the book (Levushei Serad) is not readily available, what it writes on this is copied at the foot of the page. One may add that it is obvious that the Alter Rebbe, and the source quoted in Igeres HaKodesh^[4] and in the above, do not intend to diminish but to add. That is to say, when there is a certain sum to give, their intention is not that one should hold back giving the whole sum so that the act can be done many times. They come only to add that one should not wait with giving a perutah until several perutos have accumulated, for there is a virtue in repeating the giving of charity many times. And this is simple.

With blessing for success.

Levushei Serad, siman 103:

Every person must hold fast to the attribute of charity and have a special purse for charity. The authors have explained that it is better to give little by little than to give much at one time; therefore a person should put one coin into the charity purse each time, and so he should do every hour, all according to his means and what he can afford, until what he gives over the whole day adds up to a large sum; and all should be done for the sake of Heaven (and see the following section). When someone who needs to receive charity comes his way, he should then distribute from the purse as explained (in Shulchan Aruch, siman 251, section 9; and see Knesses Yechezkel, siman 7).

Publisher's notes

Rabbi Mordechai Dov (מו"ה מרדכי דוב שי'): Telishevsky, Brooklyn. Another letter to him: above, vol. 13, letter 4685.

Notes

[1] A cheerful spirit (מרה לבנה): literally "white bile," the opposite of melancholy ("black bile"): a good and cheerful disposition.

[2] Igeres HaKodesh, charity done many times (אגה"ק במעלת מצות הצדקה הנעשית בפעמים רבות): Igeres HaKodesh in Tanya, section 21: "a great and wondrous particular virtue, beyond compare: that the act of charity be done many times."

[3] Each and every perutah (כל פרוטה ופרוטה): the saying of our Sages (Bava Basra 9b): "Each and every perutah adds up to a large sum."

[4] The source quoted in Igeres HaKodesh (המקור המובא באגה"ק): the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, on Avos 3:15, "all is according to the abundance of deeds," quoted in Igeres HaKodesh there.