Shabbos Kodesh - 08 Taking a Tenth

“And he Gave him a tenth of everything”

The Mishna at the end of bameh madlikin records another type of preparation we do in honor of Shabbos. “A person must say three things in his house on erev Shabbos as it gets dark, ‘Did you tithe? did you make the eruv? Light the candle!’”[1] The Gemara explains that the three things a person must say before Shabbos must be said gently so that [the members of his family] will accept his words.”[2]

In this chapter, we will focus on the first item, tithing. A person must ask the members of his household on erev Shabbos whether they have taken ma’aser, a tenth, of everything from which they are obligated to take ma’aser before Shabbos. This is because on Shabbos, one may not take ma’aser, because this constitutes “repairing” because by taking ma’aser, he repairs it by making it edible.

Let us attempt to understand the inner essence of this rule. How exactly is tithing related to the essence of erev Shabbos? Although superficially, it is because it is impossible to tithe on Shabbos, we know that everything has a deeper, more internal reason.

As we have done with previous topics, we will consider the first time the idea of tithing appears in the Torah. From them, we will come, with G-d’s help, to understand the root of the matter.

Tithing, ma’aser, is mentioned for the first time in the Torah with regard to Avraham, about whom the Torah says, “And he gave him ma’aser from everything.”[3] Avraham gave ma’aser to Malki Tzedek, the king of Shalem. Rashi there explains in the name of a midrash that Malki Tzedek was Shem, the son of Noach.

“And he gave him ma’aser from everything.” The Torah does not explain what “from everything” means. The simple meaning, however, is that he gave him a tenth of the property which he had taken as booty from the war between the four and the five kings.

This requires an explanation however. If Avraham always took ma’aser, why does the Torah emphasize the ma’aser which he took from the booty of the war of the four and the five kings?

“Tithing, I shall tithe to you” –Two tenths

The second place where ma’aser is mentioned in the Torah is in parshas Vayeitze in the context of the vow of Yaakov, who said “And from everything that You give me, tithing, I shall tithe to You.”[4] What is the reason for the repetition of the word for tithing here when it says “tithing, I shall tithe to You”?

We find the word for tithing used similarly in parshas Re’eh: “Tithing you shall tithe all of the grain of the produce of your seeds which goes forth from year to year.”[5] That verse also uses the word for ma’aser twice, just like the verse about Yaakov. What is the meaning of the double language?

The Gemara explains the double language for tithing with regard to Yaakov in the following way: “One who wants to give excessively to tzedakah should not give more than a fifth, lest he become dependent on other people. Which verse supports this? “And from everything that You give me, “tithing, I shall tithe to You.’”[6]

We learn from here that one who gives some of his property to the poor should not give more than a fifth of it, meaning more than a double tithe, two tenths, which equals one fifth.[7]

We must still understand, however, why the Torah had to use a double language for tithing in order to imply two tenths, rather than just say a fifth, or twenty percent, outright. It must therefore be that “tithing you shall tithe” does not mean “a fifth.” Rather, it means two tenths. If it only meant “one fifth,” or twenty percent, it would have said “I will give a fifth.”

It must therefore mean that a fifth is composed of two types of tenths. Two tenths is a fifth, but it is not ideal to start with a fifth. We must contemplate the meaning of the fact that a fifth is composed of two tenths, and is not an independent percentage in and of itself.

The Week – Seven Days which are really Ten

Let us understand the concept of ma’aser. The word ma’aser comes from the word meaning “ten.” Ma’aser means one part in ten.  The world was constructed with tens: the ten utterances with which the world was created, the ten statements on Mt. Sinai, and the ten sefiros, etc.

The framework of Shabbos kodesh that we are discussing here is the world of the seven days, and not ten days. The type of days we are familiar with are the seven days of the week, starting with Sunday and ending on Shabbos. This is a seven day framework.

Because we know that the world was created with the number ten, we must see out how this framework reveals itself in the framework of the week which ostensibly is a seven day framework.

We can understand it using the concept which we have discussed in previous chapters. Shabbos essentially begins on Wednesday. In other words, according to one perspective, Shabbos begins on the Sunday before that Shabbos. According to another understanding, it begins on Wednesday. According to that perspective, a person prepares himself to receive the nefesh on Wednesday, the ruach on Thursday, and the neshama on Friday. We see, therefore, that the essence of Shabbos begins to manifest itself three days before Shabbos actually starts. The same thing exists in the other direction as well. The neshama departs on Sunday, the ruach on Monday, and the nefesh on Tuesday, so the framework of any given Shabbos extends for three days after Shabbos is over.

We see from this that the concept of a week is a ten day, rather than a seven day, framework. On a simple level, a week lasts seven days, but on a deeper level, it is really a ten day period.

Two Tenths – From Beginning to End and from End to Beginning

We must understand the concept of a “tenth.” If one takes ten objects and places them side by side. Which one is the tenth one?

The answer is that it depends which side one is looking from. If one looks from one side, the last one on the other side is the tenth one. But if one looks from that side, then the one which originally appeared to be the tenth is the first, and the one which appeared to be first at the beginning, now appears to be the tenth.

As another example, consider a house with ten children. Which one is the tenth? If we begin counting from the oldest, then the youngest one is the tenth. But if we count from the end, then the oldest child is the tenth.

We can now understand a subtle point. “Tithing, I shall tithe to You.” This implies two tenths, meaning that one should not spend more than one fifth of his property on tzedaka. We explained that this verse does not really refer to a fifth. Instead, it means “two times ma’aser.”  Ma’aser means a “tenth.” How is it possible to have two tenths? Whenever we divide something into ten parts, it would seem that only one of them can be the tenth one!  It seems impossible to define a fifth, then, as two times ma’aser. We can understand how one can give two parts out of ten, but it is difficult to understand how we can have two tenths.

But according to what we said about the importance of perspective when we define a tenth, we can now understand the concept of “two tenths” very well. In every set of ten items two of them can be defined as the tenth. We have the tenth counting from the beginning to the end and the tenth if we count from the end going toward the beginning. Both of them can correctly be called the “tenth.” It all depends on the direction one counts from.

For example, if one has ten apples and he gives away a fifth of them, which is two apples. On a simple level, one of those apples is a tenth of the apples. And the second apple can be is one ninth of the apples, and not one tenth. But if we take the perspective in every set of ten that we count from beginning to the end and from the end to the beginning, then it is possible to define two of the apples as the tenth one.

When the Torah comes to teach us about the fifth, therefore, it does not say “one fifth” explicitly. Rather is says, “Tithing I shall tithe to You.” This is a much deeper idea. It teaches that in every group of ten, there are two things which can be called the tenth.

Tithing, I shall tithe – Two Types of Ma’aser

The matter is not yet clear. We have not yet explained the idea of tithing. We do, however, understand that the concept of a tenth can exist at one of two extremes.

The phrase “Tithing I shall tithe to You.” Refers to the two concepts of a tenth. This does not refer to the same tenth repeated twice. The Gemara explained that “the last tenth is not similar to the first tenth.”[8]And Rashi explains that “When one takes the first tenth, he leaves nine tenths and when he goes to calculate another tenth from what is left after the first tenth has been taken, the next tenth is not like the first one. So between the two of them, he has separated less than a fifth.”[9] In other words, if, for example, we have one hundred apples, the first tenth of them is ten apples, but the second tenth is only going to be nine apples. So the two tenths equal only nineteen apples, which is not one fifth of a hundred.

The Gemara then answers, “Rav Ashi  says that we take the last tenth like the first tenth.” And Rashi explains, “This means I will take the second tenth like the first tenth, meaning that second ma’aser is the same as first ma’aser.” Rashi thus explains that the second tenth should be identical to the first. The second tenth is not a tenth twice. Rather, there are two concepts for ma’aser and both are referred to as a “tenth.”

We will try, with Hashem’s help, to understand the essence of ma’aser and how it is revealed.

Ten Utterances – Ten Gates

Hashem created the world with “ten.” “With ten utterances, the world was created.”[10]  This refers to a way of perceiving the world called “ten.”

The letters comprising the word ten, ﬧ-שׂ-ﬠ, can be used to make six possible combinations of letters [similar to other three letter root words, which can form six possible constructions].  Let us contemplate two of them.  One is the Hebrew word for “gate,” “שׁﬠﬧ,” which shares the same root as the word for ten.  On the other hand, the letters comprising the Hebrew word for “ten,” in order, also spell the word meaning “wealthy,” “ﬠשׁיִﬧ.”  On one hand, the root letters can mean gate, and on the other hand, they can mean wealthy. What do we learn from this?

Let us give a simple example. The storehouses of the king are used to sustain his entire nation, in the case of a good and righteous king who feels a responsibility for his nation.  The king’s storehouse has a gate, a doorway.  This doorway can mean two different things.  For someone coming from the outside in, it is a doorway.  It is a means to get from the outside into the storehouse.  But for someone coming from the inside out, it is a source of wealth because it gives him a way to bring the wealth from the inside to the outside.  This is the opposite of the outside-in perspective. 

From the outside-in perspective, the doorway is a way to get in.  “This is the gate to Hashem, the Tzadikim come through it.”[11]  It is a doorway that allows one to go from the outside-in.  But from the opposite, inside-out, perspective, it is the means through which the wealth can pass from the inside to the reach the rest of the world.

The concept of “ten” is therefore twofold.  On one hand, it stands for the concept of the number ten, which means that it is a gateway through which one can enter, a “ten” in the sense of an entranceway.  On the other hand, it also stands for the concept of “ten” which is the aspect of a wealth, which means the source of blessing.

A gate is the aspect of the mundane “tenth.”  Wealth is the aspect of the elevated tenth, which is wealthier and greater than everything.  The upper level of wealth can only be revealed, however, via the lower gateway, the tenth.

Let us explain.  There are two implications to the fact that Hashem created the world with ten utterances.  One implication is that when a person wants to get closer to Hashem he must enter to get closer to Hashem through a type of gateway in order to approach the Creator.

“This is the gate to Hashem, the Tzadikim come through it.”[12]  Fear of G-d is the gateway. All of this refers to the concept of wanting to get closer to G-d from the outside-in.  This is one implication of the fact that Hashem created the word with ten utterances.  In reality, these are ten gateways through which we may come inside.  Each one is a way to get more and more deeply inside, closer and closer to Hashem.

In other words, not only the “tenth” of the utterances is called the “tenth.” Rather, they are all collectively called the ten utterances.  Each one is part of the collective ten.  On a deeper level, each utterance is a gate which allows a person to go more deeply inside. 

The Ten Utterances are the Concept of Wealth Because to Hashem, there is no Deficiency

There is also the concept of a person who is already with the Creator.  “And men will take shelter under Your wings.”[13]  Such a person is attached to the Creator of the world and he is with Him.  The Creator is infinite and without limits or boundaries and the concept of deficiency does not apply to Him.  By way of analogy, we call Him “wealthy” because He lacks nothing.

Someone who is with Hashem is also wealthy.  Poverty means deficiency.  This could be in terms of physical poverty or spiritual, inner poverty.  The definition of a wealthy person, on the other hand, implies the opposite of deficiency.  The Creator of the world comprises absolute perfection, as it were, and He therefore lacks nothing.

A person who wants to affiliate himself with that type of perfection approaches life with the concept of a gateway, which shares the same Hebrew letters as the word for ten.  Such a person passes through doorway after doorway in order to reach perfection.

            In contrast, someone who is already together with the Creator reveals the concept of wealth, i.e. every type of wholeness and perfection.

            It therefore appears that in one framework, a person steps closer and closer toward the Creator of the world, and for such a person, the utterances/gateways are pathways through which he approaches G-d. But for a person who is already with G-d, the framework is one where each gateway is a conduit which serves as a source of blessing for the world.  This is the opposite kind of gate, one which leads from the inside-out.  A person connected to this framework is connected to and sees perfection, who is wealthy and is not lacking anything.

            We can now understand that the framework within which one desires to enter into Hashem’s presence is one in which a person is currently in a state of deficiency and he wants to get closer to Hashem to perfect himself.  The second concept, that of a person who is attached to the Creator, refers to the concept of a wealthy person.  “In the world to come, the tzadikim will be called by the name of the Holy One Blessed is He.”[14]  This means that they will be attached to and part of Hashem’s wealth, His perfection and lack of deficiency.

            You Shall Surely Tithe – Tithe in order that you should become Wealthy

            According to this, we can now understand why the Gemara says “you shall surely tithe, tithe in order that you will become wealthy.”[15]  The sages even said, based on this, that in this area, it is permissible to test G-d despite the fact that it is forbidden to do so with regard to other matters, as the verse says, “you shall not test G-d.”[16]  The Gemara[17] derives that it is permissible to test G-d in the matter of tithing from the verse, “Bring all of the tithes to the storehouse so that there will be food in my house and put me to the test with that says the L-rd of Hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of the heavens and pour out for you immeasurable blessing.”[18]

            It is therefore clear that tithing is the source of blessing and the source of wealth.  Tithing-ten comes from the word meaning wealthy.  Practically speaking, when a person separates a tenth from his stock of 100 apples, he is left with only 90 apples [and even less because he must also separate great ma’aser, tithing for the poor, second tithe, etc.].  The act of tithing, from a superficial perspective, creates a deficiency.  In contrast to that, the sages taught us that tithing causes greater wealth, which is a promise of wealth and blessing.  “[I will] pour out for your immeasurable blessing.”[19]  This shows that something which appears to create deficiency is actually the source of blessing.  While superficially tithing comes from a place of deficiency and is the gateway through which one who is lacking can perfect himself, on a deeper level, it is actually the source of blessing.

            And he received in the same year One Hundredfold for Hashem had Blessed Him

            We find this idea expressed in a different way in the context of our forefather Yitzchak.  “Then Yitzchak sowed in the land, and received in the same year a hundredfold (“שׁﬠﬧיִﬦ מּﬡﬣ,” literally “one hundred gates”) because Hashem had blessed him.”[20]  Rashi explains that “our sages said the people had estimates what the field should have yielded for the purpose of calculating the proper tithe.  There, the word meaning “gate” (“שׁﬠﬧ”) is used to refer to tithing.  Tithing, on one hand, is a gate and it is also the source of blessing, “because Hashem had blessed him.”[21]

            These are the two contrasting concepts of tithing represented by Yaakov’s double expression of “tithe, I shall tithe to You.”[22] It is not two identical concepts of tithing, just like the sages said regarding the taking of a fifth. A fifth is two tenths.  The first tenth is the aspect of “and he found in the same year a hundredfold,” which creates a gateway, and the second tenth creates the reality of wealth.

This can be compared to a king who built a vault in his treasury and sealed it shut with an impenetrable lock.  After some time, a war broke out in the kingdom and the king’s kingdom was conquered.  The booty of the war belongs to the conqueror. When the victor comes to take the booty, he finds a locked vault, so he infers that the treasure of the kingdom must be inside.  The vault is, however, completely closed.  As long as it is closed, he cannot receive any benefit from the money inside.  What should he do? He must break open the vault in order to create an opening, a gate. This opening will create a means through which he can access the treasure.

According to this analogy, the first step in accessing the treasure is to break it open, to create a deficiency in it.  In reality through, this deficiency is actually a source of blessing and the means by which one can access wealth.  As long as the vault was whole, it was impossible for the new owner of the wealth to use any of it.  It was only when a hole, a deficiency was created in the container of the wealth that the deficiency created an opening through which one could remove the treasure inside.

Therefore, the take-away point of the analogy is that deficiency created a path to wealth.  This is because as long as no deficiency was created, there was no way to access the wealth within the vault. 

This analogy’s lesson is extremely deep.  The concept of tithing comprises the two opposites we spoke about. On one hand, it creates an opening through which we can approach Hashem and on the other hand, it is the source of blessing and wealth. These two concepts explain the double expression of “tithe, I shall tithe to You.”[23]

The matter, however, requires further clarification. How does one accomplish this duel function of tithing and what does this teach us?

Avraham Took a Tenth for the Kohein and Nothing for Himself

There was a very deep aspect of Avraham’s tithing [which is the earliest source for tithing in the Torah].  On one hand, the Torah says “and he gave a tenth of everything”[24] meaning that Avraham gave Shem, the son of Noach, a tenth of the wealth and the booty of war, which implies that he kept nine tenths of the spoils for himself.  In contrast, the Torah explains that Avraham Avinu took nothing for himself from the spoils of war.  We see this from the fact that the king of Sedom said to Avraham, “Give me the captives and take the booty for yourself,”[25] but that Avraham refused to take anything for himself, saying “I will not take even a thread or shoelace and I will not take anything of yours, lest you say ‘it is I who made Avraham wealthy.’”[26]

The explanation must therefore be that although he returned the spoils to the king of Sedom, he did not return the tithe.  This is, in fact, how the Ramban explains the verses.  “Avraham did not want to take even a thread or shoelace for himself, but he took a portion for on-high and gave it to the kohein.”[27]

Avraham’s practice is the opposite of what we normally see. Usually a person gives away the tenth and keeps ninety percent for himself.  Here, however, the only part of the spoils Avraham Avinu took for himself was the tenth, and he gave away ninety percent, leaving nothing for himself, as it says, “Leave nothing for me but the food for the soldiers and the portion for the men who fought with me, Aner, Eshkol, and Mamrei; they shall take their portions.”[28]  Avraham gave his own portion to the king of Sedom.  The remainder went to the men who fought with him.

The only portion Avraham took for himself was the tenth that he took to give to the kohein, Shem.  Because of this, he merited the blessing of divine prosperity.  This is the opposite of the normal human perspective, which looks at the tithe as the portion that one lacks because he gives it away, and at the ninety percent as the portion one keeps for himself.  It was exactly the opposite for Avraham, who kept the tithe for himself, which he gave to Shem, the son of Noach and he gave the remaining ninety percent of the spoils away.  This means that the only part he kept for himself was the tenth which he then gave to Shem.

The Human Perspective is only a “Tenth”

In contrast to the simple understanding that a person who grows produce separates terumos and takes the tithes and earns his livelihood from the majority which he keeps, Avraham Avinu had the opposite perspective.  He did not want to be sustained using the “leftovers” from the tithes “so that [the king of Sedom] should not be able to say ‘it is I who made Avraham wealthy.’” [29]  In other words, Avraham only wanted to become wealthy from the tithe taken from the spoils which he had given to Shem.  That is why he gave his own ninety percent portion back to the king of Sedom.

It appears from this that tithing is, in essence, the only source for drawing down wealth from heaven.  The only source for Avraham’s physical wealth and divine blessing was the tenth which he gave.  Nothing else truly existed for him. 

Hashem created the world with ten utterances.  The earlier authorities explain that the only one of these utterances we can relate to is the tenth. In the language of the mekubalim, this is expressed by saying that the Holy One Blessed is He created the world with the kingship of the infinite.  The only part of this we have any conception of is the tenth point.  Everything beyond that is beyond our ability to understand.

Avraham revealed this fact that we can only relate to the last tenth by only taking a tenth of all of the spoils of war and even that, he gave away to the kohein, Shem the son of Noach.  He did not even touch the rest of the spoils.

This is the Gate to Hashem, the Tzadikim Come through it – The Tzadikim are the Gate

Let us try to explain.  The Hebrew word for tithing has the same letters as the word for gate.  “Then [Yitzchak] received in the same year a hundredfold (“שׁﬠﬧיִﬦ מּﬡﬣ”).”[30]  What does a person truly own in his life? On a simple, physical level, a person has a house, money, etc., each one according to what he has.

On a deeper level, however, “this is the gate to Hashem, the tzadikim come through it.”[31]  This does not mean that the tzadikim pass through a gate on a physical level.  The intent is that the tzadikim themselves are the gate.  Similarly, the sages explained Yaakov’s “ladder standing on the hearth with its head in the heavens”[32] to mean that Yaakov himself was the ladder.[33]

The tzadikim themselves are the gateway to Hashem referred to by the verse above. [34]  This is the meaning of the statement in the Gemara that “the whole world is sustained for the sake of (“בֿשׁבֿיּﬥ”) Chanina my son and Chanina my son is sustained by a measure of carobs.”[35]  The Nefesh Hachaim and the works of Hasidic thought explain that “for the sake of Chanina my son” means that Chanina my son is the pathway (“שׁבֿיּﬥ”), the tzadik, through whom all blessing and sustenance comes into the world.

What is the difference between someone who is and someone who is not a tzadik? A tzadik is someone who only sees himself as a gateway.  Someone who does not see himself as a gateway is not in the category of tzadik.

“Mordechai sat in the gate of the king.”[36]  The word “king” by itself in the book of Esther refers to the King of the world, as it is known.  The idea that Mordechai sat in the gate of the king means that Mordechai only saw himself as a “gate.”

What is the essential definition of a gate? The essence of a gate is, as we have said, that it is a place through which treasures on the inside are able to come outside.  A gate is the place through which divine blessing comes from the place of kingship and spreads out to the entire nation.

“This is the gate to Hashem, the tzadikim come through it.”[37]  They come through it because they identify themselves with it, as a gateway.  “Mordechai sat in the gate of the king.”  His essence was that of a gate and he saw his existence as one of a gate. 

According to this, we can now understand why Avraham took only the tenth for himself and he left the other nine parts for others.  Since Avraham’s essence was that of a gate, everything else was completely irrelevant to him.  The tithing portion, which is the gate through which wealth comes, is the only part he “took” for himself.  Avraham was the aspect of a gate through which the entire divine blessing of wealth comes into the world.  The remaining portions, however, which are not the gateway to bring wealth into the world, generally had no meaning to him, which is why he let others take that part.

“And he Gave a Tenth of Everything” – Giving from the Point of View of “I Have Everything”

Chazal make a deep point to explain the result of giving.  According to the Midrash,[38] “Regarding Avraham it is written, ‘and Hashem blessed Avraham with everything’[39] in the merit of ‘and he gave a tenth of everything.’[40]  With regard to Yitzchak, it says ‘And he ate from everything’[41] in the merit of ‘and he gave a tenth of everything.’ With regard to Yaakov it is written “and Hashem had mercy on me and I have everything’[42] in the merit of ‘And he gave him a tenth of everything.’”[43]

Chazal are teaching us that Avraham gave a tenth from an understanding of “everything.” “And he gave him a tenth of everything”  means not only that he gave a tenth from “everything” he received in the war.  In addition to that, it means that the aspect of Avraham’s soul from which he drew his ability to give that tenth was his understanding that he had “everything.”

At the beginning, we explained that the concept of ten (“עשר”) has two meanings.  On one hand, it is a gateway (“שער”), and on the other hand, it is the source of wealth (“עשיר”).  These seem to be two distinct concepts; that of a gateway and that of wealth.  But according to what we have explained here, that Avraham gave a tenth from the deep recognition within his soul that “I have everything,” tithing for him was a gateway through which Divine blessings were brought from the inside out.

Let us contemplate this idea. Why does a person give a tenth of his income to tzedaka?  Ostensibly, it is because this is one of the few areas where Chazal permit us to test G-d. [44]  “And put me to the test with that ... if I will not open for you the windows of the heavens and pour out for you immeasurable blessing.”[45]  The reason for giving, therefore, is that a person wants to open up a gateway for himself to draw down Divine blessing into his life.

This type of giving does not indicate that a person has perfected himself.  It is just the opposite.  Because the person feels deficient and he wants to fill in what he lacks, he wants the blessing that G-d promises to those who give a tenth.  That is why he gives.  His giving of a tenth, therefore, comes from an inner sense of deficiency and a desire to fill in that which he feels his life is lacking.

The word for tithing, as we have said, has the same letters as the word for gateway.  There are, however, two kinds of gates.  The kind of giving by the person we are discussing is by a person who feels deficient.  This person merely seeks a gate through which he alone will receive Divine blessing.  Such a person has no inherent connection to the source of the wealth he seeks to draw down.  He remains separate from the source of the wealth even after he receives it.  His only desire is to go to the place of the wealth and take some of it for himself.

The other type of gateway, however, involves a completely different type of giving.  Avraham gave a tenth from this other perspective.  His desire in opening up the gateway by giving a tenth was not in order to draw down Divine blessing for himself.  Rather, his desire was only to give to others.  His desire to open up the gateway of Divine blessing was motivated by his feeling that he already had everything, he was not deficient, and because he saw others who needed those blessings.  This type of giving is done in order to open up the gateway and reveal the inner sense of having “everything,” where wealth shares its roots with “ten,” which is the number required in a minyan to have a Jewish communal gathering, and which is the concept of “everything.”

Avraham’s primary character trait was kindness.  “The world was built on kindness.”[46]  If there is a building full of valuable things whose doors are bolted shut and whose windows are closed and locked, the only way to get anything out of the house is by creating a door, opening a gateway through which one can remove things from the building.

Avraham opened up the gateway by giving a tenth of everything he received.  He did not give because he felt deficient.  Rather, he gave because of a feeling that he had everything except for the capacity to give of what he had to others.  In order to give to and support others, he had to create a gateway.  That is why he used tithing, giving a tenth of everything he had, to create that opening through which he could give to others.  He therefore took no other part of the booty of the war for himself since his goal in giving a tenth was completely different. He only wanted to open up a gateway through which he could draw down Divine blessing for others.

“One Who Wants to Give Excessively to Tzedakah Should not Give More than a Fifth”

Based on the foregoing we can now understand the wondrous depths of the concepts of giving a tenth and of giving a fifth.  Tithing means creating a gateway through which one can enter.  This is different than the person who gives a tenth in order to acquire wealth by testing G-d to see whether he will receive wealth.  Such a person’s only desire is to enter only in order to take wealth out with him.

Giving a fifth, however, creates another type of gateway.  It means giving two tenths as we mentioned earlier.  One who gives a second tenth unifies the two types of tithing; i.e., the concept of creating a gateway with the concept of creating wealth.  This person gives in order to open up a gateway through which he can give to someone else.  This is the deeper meaning of giving a fifth.

Giving a fifth does not only mean giving twenty percent because one who gives twenty percent does so with the thought of giving a tenth, but with the belief that if giving a tenth can draw down Divine blessing, that twenty percent will bring down twice as much blessing.  What is the deeper meaning of this?

Let us contemplate.  When our sages said “One who wants to give excessively to tzedakah should not give more than a fifth,”[47] they meant to imply the opposite of the norm.  The sages chose not to express the rule as a mitzvah of giving a fifth just as it is a mitzvah to give a tenth,[48]  rather, they did just the opposite.   “One who wants to give excessively” refers to a person who wants to give much more than normal, he wants to give everything he has.  The sages tell such a person not to give more than a fifth.  The sages created a prohibition for one who wants to give everything by limiting him to a fifth.

One who wants to give a fifth comes from a perspective of “and he gave a tenth of everything.”  He does not give because he feels deficient.  Rather, he wants to give everything, but he is restrained because Divine blessing must come gradually.  The underlying feeling behind such a person’s giving is, however, of “and he gave a tenth of everything.”

A Fifth and a Tenth – For the Sake of Heaven and Not for the Sake of Heaven

The concepts of a fifth and a tenth boil down to the concepts of for the sake of heaven and not for the sake of Heaven.  For every “not for the sake of Heaven,” there must be some aspect of “for the sake of Heaven.” 

For example, let us consider a person gives tzedakah because he wants to become wealthy and for whom this is the primary motivation for giving.  But is he also happy that someone else received the money? This question will reveal the “for the sake of Heaven” within his giving which was “not for the sake of Heaven.”  Thus, one can identify the “for the sake of Heaven” within his “selfish giving” by asking himself  whether he is truly pleased that the other person is receiving, or whether he is giving purely in order to become wealthy. 

Even when a person gives because of a feeling of deficiency, in order to fill in what he is lacking, he must also have some amount of desire that the other person receive.  It may be that the majority, even the vast majority, of his motivation was “not for the sake of Heaven,” but there will always be some tiny amount of desire that the other person also benefit.  It is through this amount of “for the sake of Heaven” that a person begins to connect, very slowly, to the inner point of giving.

We therefore see that there are two concepts in tithing.  It could be the concept of bringing Divine blessing from the outside in, where the motivating factor of his giving is a feeling of deficiency.  Such a person’s desire is to fill the void of his own deficiency based on his belief that Hashem is the source of blessing and that one who gives a tenth will become wealthy.  He knows that “The wealthy people of the land of Israel merit wealth because they tithe, as the verse says, ‘you shall surely tithe (“עשר תעשר”),’ which means ‘tithe so that you will become wealthy (“עשר שתתעשר”).’”[49]

The other type of giving involves a person who gives ma’aser because he is connected, he is on the inside, and he wants to open up the door in order to cause others to receive Divine blessing.  These are the two different types of people who give tzedakah. One refers to the concept of ma’aser, meaning the desire to open up the Heavenly spigot in order to allow himself to receive wealth.  The other concept is that of “עשר תעשר,” meaning the concept of “לך אעשרנו  עשר,” which refers to the concept of giving a fifth in order to open up the gateways of Divine blessing for others.

One Who Toils on Erev Shabbos will Eat on Shabbos – Creating an Opening for Shabbos Blessings

We will now return to Chazal’s statement that “A person must say three things in his house on erev Shabbos as it gets dark, ‘Did you tithe? Did you make the eruv? Light the candle!’”[50]  We see from this statement that tithing is a deep component of honoring Shabbos kodesh.  We must, therefore, understand the reason and nature of tithing as a type of preparation for Shabbos.

We mentioned in the earlier chapters that Shabbos is called “the source of blessing.” As we say in Lecha Dodi on Friday nights, “Go out and greet Shabbos because it is the source of blessing.” This teaches us that the source of all blessing is Shabbos. In the first chapter, we discussed the apparent contradiction  between the notion that Shabbos receives from the six days of the week - “One who toils on erev Shabbos will eat on Shabbos.”[51] – and the idea that Shabbos is the source of blessing, from which the other six days of the week receive their blessings. These two teachings seem to contradict.

The truth is, however, that the purpose of all of our toil during the six days of the week is to create a gateway. Shabbos exists in the special treasure house of Hashem. As the Gemara says, “The Holy One Blessed is He said to Moshe, ‘I have a good gift in My treasure house, and Shabbos is its name.”[52] Shabbos is hidden and safeguarded in the King’s treasure house. We therefore have to create a gateway through which we can enter and gain access to the essence of Shabbos, which is the source of all blessing.

While we toil during the six days of the week, our approach to Shabbos is that we are trying to open up a gateway in order to gain access to the Shabbos treasures.  From the Shabbos perspective, however, our work during the six days of the week is meant to access the state of mind wherein one feels that he has everything.

It is now apparent that the two aspects of tithing which we discussed correspond to the six days of the week and Shabbos. Each day of the week, a person must live with the attitude that “today is day one to Shabbos,” etc. When a person lives this way, he will recognize that his job is not to open up a gateway to fulfill what he is lacking. Rather, his job is to open up a gateway through which he will reveal the source of the recognition that one already has “everything,” which itself is the source of wealth.

Working for a Living - Opening the Gate of Divine Blessing

Hashem gave man the six days of the week in order that he work for his livelihood. The Ramchal explains in Messilas Yesharim that “Working for a livelihood does not bring the livelihood, but it is necessary.”[53] Working for a living is actually a penalty. “It would have been possible for man to sit idly and receive his Divinely decreed livelihood had it not been for the penalty decreed upon all of mankind, ‘By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread.’ Because of this, man must work to some extent for his livelihood.  But once one has done some amount of work, he has fulfilled his obligation and created some vessel through which Divine blessing can enter his life.  A person is therefore not required to waste his days with diligent toil for this livelihood.”[54] Once a person has fulfilled his obligation to work, then “the blessing of Hashem will make him wealthy.”[55] One must understand that toiling is one thing and that attainment is something else.[56] 

What are the implications of this concept? If it were the case that one’s work and accomplishments belong to him, then he attains whatever he works for. If, however, one recognizes that the purpose of his labor is merely to open up the door, then can it be said that what he receives is the same thing that he worked for? Certainly not. The King’s treasure house has everything inside it. It only lacks a door. All we do during the six days of the week is create an opening to access that “everything,” which is perfect and lacks nothing.

Chazal say that “one who did not work on erev Shabbos, from where will he get anything to eat on Shabbos?!”[57] because there is no opening. This does not imply that Shabbos lacks anything simply because one did not prepare for it.  It is impossible to suggest that Shabbos receives its blessings from man’s labor when Shabbos itself is the source of blessing. What then can man truly bring to the “table” in his preparations for Shabbos? The only thing we can offer is the ability to open up the door to allow the light of Shabbos to illuminate our lives.

This is why a person must prepare himself properly for Shabbos during the six days of the week. This way, when Shabbos comes, he will open up the door for it. If one does not open up the door for Shabbos, however, even though all gates are opened on Shabbos, they are only opened for those who prepare themselves properly for it during the six days of the week.

Working for a livelihood is a penalty decreed upon mankind after the sin of the tree of knowledge, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” as the Ramchal explained.  What is the nature of this penalty? At first, man lived in the Garden of Eden.  After the sin, Hashem removed him from there and the gates of the Garden were sealed. “And He expelled man, and He placed the Cherubs and the spinning sword of fire to the east of the Garden of Eden to guard the path to the tree of life.”[58]

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While Adam HaRishon had been in Gan Eden, he was like a person in his own home. When such a person wants to eat, there is no need to take the food out the door of his house to bring it to him – he’s already inside! Only a person who is outside needs the food brought outside and to be fed to him[T1] .

Adam HaRishon in Gan Eden had no need for a door in order to receive that bounty, it was already by him. But after  he sinned and was expelled from Gan Eden, now he was outside while the source of bounty remained inside. Further, the Holy One Blessed Be He barred the entrances to Gan Eden with a spinning sword of fire: the doors were closed.

What does a man need to do during the six days of the week in order to open those gates? “With the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread”[59] – through the power of exertion, the negation of the material, in this way the door can be opened[T2] .

During the six days of the week, the gateway is closed. Only on Shabbos kodesh does it open, as it is written in the Prophets: “The gate of the inner courtyard that faces east will be closed the six working days, and on the Shabbos day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened.”[60]

What then is it incumbent upon us to do during the six days of the week? During that time, we need only to strive to open the gates. When Shabbos kodesh, which is itself the source of blessing, comes  – “on the Shabbos day it will be opened”! During the six days of the week, we work hard to open the gates, and on Shabbos kodesh, the gates open and then it is revealed that Shabbos kodesh is the source of blessing.

Ma’aser isn’t Taken on Tevel until it goes through the Entrance of the House

In this way we can also understand what Chazal said, “Tevel (produce which has not yet been separated out from it terumah and ma’aser portions) isn’t obligated in ma’aser until it sees the face of the house.”[61] One of the conditions to create the requirement to take ma’aser is “seeing the front of the house.” As long as the fruits are in the field, there is no obligation to take ma’aser on them. The obligation only begins once they are brought through the main door of the house. This explains their statement, “Later generations would bring their fruits indoors by way of roofs, courtyards, and storage yards in order to be exempt from taking ma’aser.”[62] By not “seeing the face of the house”, the fruits never became obligated in ma’aser.

Based on what was said earlier, we can now understand this on a deeper level. The ma’aser itself is a gateway, and for this reason the fruits need to pass through a gate in order that they be obligated in ma’aser. And in the same way that “seeing” the main entrance of the house creates an obligation to separate ma’aser, so too Shabbos creates the same obligation: “Shabbos creates an obligation to take ma’aseros even without seeing the entrance of the house.”[63] What is the connection?

It is for the reason that we have explained. The creating of an obligation to take ma’aseros works through the system of a gate.[64] The framework of ma’aser is in fact to create a gate, and without passing through this gate, the fruits cannot become obligated in ma’aser. In a parallel way, Shabbos kodesh comes at the end of the six days of the week. Those six days of the week are the days of toiling to open the gate, and when we arrive at Shabbos kodesh, the gate opens, and in this way we have passed through the gate.

What is this system of ma’aseros?

Regarding the mitzvah to set aside bikkurim (first fruits), the mishnah teaches, “How do we separate bikkurim? A person goes into his field and sees a fig that has ripened, a cluster [of grapes] that has ripened, [or] a pomegranate that has ripened. He ties it with a reed and declares, ‘These are bikkurim.’”[65] Afterwards, he brings them up to Jerusalem, to the Beis HaMikdash. Why? The commentators explain that in this way we show that these fruits belong to the Creator of the world.

This is essentially the system of ma’aseros. All that I have – it all belongs to the Creator of the World, and I am only a gate. “This is the gate to Hashem, the tzaddikim will enter through it.”[66] The tzaddikim are actually an aspect of a gate, as we explained[T3] .

Erev Shabbos Kodesh – The Last [of the] Gate[s[T4] ]

Therefore, erev Shabbos Kodesh is essentially the conclusion – the final gate. We have the six days in which we toil, and Shabbos is the source of blessing. It is comparable to a water pipe where the larger the pipe’s circumference, the stronger the flow of water that passes through it. And if we contract the circumference the flow of water weakens.

During the six days of the week, we are building the reality of a gate. And just like the businessmen make an accounting at the end of the day, so too, we make a cheshbon hanefesh at the end of the week [and as we mentioned in the earlier chapters that erev Shabbos is one of the times of repentance].

“Isartem? (Have you taken ma’aser?) Eravtem? (Did you make an eruv?)”[67] What is the meaning behind the first question? Certainly, the simple understanding is, “Did you take ma’aser on the fruits?” On Shabbos, it is forbidden to take ma’aser since it is considered  fixing a utensil, as we mentioned. But the deeper significance is, “Have you taken ma’aser on erev Shabbos?” It[T5]  is now the conclusion of the week. Did you open a gate during the span of the week? For if not, on Shabbos it is already too late to open it.

On Shabbos kodesh, the Arizal writes that a person needs to enter into a different world. A person exists in one world for six days of the week, but on Shabbos kodesh all the worlds are elevated three levels. On Shabbos, he needs to enter a more inner world. Someone who didn’t open that gate, he gets there and finds the doors locked. And if the doors are locked, he cannot enter.

On erev Shabbos, we open up the doors so that we may enter. But this is a dangerous situation. When we open the doors, all sorts of evil forces are also able to enter! Therefore, we have a complimentary process: “Did you make an eruv?” This refers to the mitzvoth of eruv techumin (extending the amount one may walk on Shabbos) and eruv hatzeros (merging of residences). A person needs to create boundaries and limits [This will be further explained, with Hashem’s help, in the next chapter].

After the questions “Have you taken ma’aser? Did you make an eruv?” the mishnah concludes,  “Light the lights!” These three things apparently have no connection one to the other. There is one process of taking ma’aser, another of making an eruv, and a third of lighting the Shabbos candles. However, according to what we’ve explained now, “Isartem? (Have you taken ma’aser?)” is about opening the gate, but after we’ve opened it we need to ensure that it will close after us so that undesirable things don’t enter as well.

So “Isartem? (Have you taken ma’aser?)” is all about opening the gates. As we know, a person has seven gates: two eyes, two ears, a nose with two nostrils, and a mouth. Our work is to open up these gates, and then to prevent foreign things from entering. A person doesn’t automatically control these parts of the body, he needs to merit it like Avraham Avinu. Then he gains mastery over them.[68] Nonetheless, there is a system by which a person opens up the seven gates within himself [Even though it would appear that there are only six and not seven, corresponding to the six days of the week, this is not the place to expound on this].

There are seven gates in a person that he needs to open. They make up the framework of the six days of the week that prepare for the coming of Shabbos. We prepare for Shabbos kodesh through the opening of the gates. We open one gate, then another, and in the end we are ready for Shabbos kodesh – to receive its bounty.

This is its deeper meaning, that the six days of the week are a preparation for the opening of the gates, but the actual opening is only with the entrance of Shabbos kodesh.

The Transparent Screen – The Transferring of Bounty via a Tzaddik

Let us delve deeper. We mentioned above that the letters of the Hebrew word gate (שער) are the same letters used to spell wealth (עשיר). Using a physical example, a king has storehouses, and a person who wants to enter needs to pass through the gate. But from a spiritual angle, the matter is much deeper.

We mentioned that the tzaddikim are themselves the gate: “This is the gate to Hashem, the righteous will enter through it.”[69] How are we to understand this?

Let us use another analogy to explain. A person who finds himself locked in a house and he wants to enjoy the sunlight, what does he need to do? He has two options. One option is to open the windows and draw the blinds. This will allow the sun’s rays to shine inside. The alternative is if the glass is itself transparent, then it is possible that the window remain closed, and even so, the sun’s rays will enter the house! This is the second type of influence.

What is the deeper significance of this analogy?

It is brought down in Chazal[70] that the tzaddikim look with something akin to a “transparent glass” that allows the bounty to pass through it. When there is an entranceway, but it is blocked by a concrete wall, one solution is to create a space in the place of the wall – to break it and clear the rubble away from the entrance. This is one method. But there is a method by which we take the concrete and we scour it until it becomes like clear glass, until it is as if it became a different substance. In this way, the wall can remain in its place, yet the abundance can pass through it.

When Ya’akov Avinu said, “I will certainly (should “set aside” be added here?) the tenth to You,”[71] this followed his vision of “a ladder placed on the earth and its top reached to the Heavens.”[72] We mentioned above the statement of Chazal that Ya’akov Avinu was himself a ladder. The idea of a ladder is something that draws from above to below and similarly from below to above. Ya’akov was himself a ladder inasmuch that he was a transparent glass.

The Work of a Person  is to Open a Doorway – To be Pure

The depth of the matter is readily apparent. We have explained that the six days are essentially the time for working on opening the gates. Each day we open more and more gates. Then this framework of the week passes, we have opened the gates, and now the bounty comes from Shabbos. When the bounty due to Shabbos continues to come during the weekdays after that Shabbos, does it go out via a space, or does it pass through us?

If the definition of the concept is that there is no means for the bounty to go out, then we need to carve a hole in the wall to enable the bounty to pass, since it is impossible for it to penetrate a wall. But the tzaddikim, who are themselves an opening, they are the gate. In other words, they have a transparent existence which allows the bounty to pass through them. This is not like in the manner of a doorway where we have cleared away the cement wall blocking it, rather, it is in the manner of a transparent entity that allows the light to penetrate.

This is the explanation of the statement that the tzaddikim are like a gate: they are an opening. They are not, however, like an opening formed because we have taken away the gate, since the idea behind all openings is “that which isn’t here” [the shape of the opening is what there is, but the opening itself is what there isn’t]. The tzaddikim themselves are here, but they are like transparent windows. The work of a person is to make an opening. In other words, to be pure, like transparent glass which allows the light to pass through it.

This is a process whereby the opening isn’t a result of the removing of the “me,” rather, it is the existence of me, where I am myself the opening!.

This opening, as we will see soon, is in fact the true guarding ensuring that nothing from the outside penetrate inside. What is the difference between these two types of openings? If the opening is understood in its simple sense, then the moment it opens, all sorts of evil forces are able to enter through it. But if the opening is merely a transparent glass, then there is no possibility for any destructive forces to penetrate. This is the state whereby the light can pass through me, but nothing from the outside is able to penetrate.

Is there a Tree? – A Tzaddik that Protects His Generation is like a Tree

Regarding the verse, “Is there a tree [in the land] or not?”[73] which Moshe Rabbeinu said to the spies, the gemorrah expounds that in fact he was asking them if there was still living in the land Iyov the tzaddik “whose years are long like a tree and protects his generation like a tree?” What is the explanation that a tzaddik protects like a tree?

If we completely seal off a city, then in the same way that it is impossible to enter, so too no one can leave. A special type of barrier needs to be constructed, one that restricts movement in only one direction.  A good example of this nowadays is the one-way mirrors which are opaque on one side and clear on the other.

This is what a tzaddik actually is. A tzaddik is someone who gives off light from the inside out. The light can pass by way of him since he is transparent. But someone standing within is protected like a tree since it is impossible for anything to enter.

That being the case, the system of opening gates is really a system of purifying oneself. The essence of purification is to become, in a manner of speaking, transparent.

This is also the aspect of Shabbos kodesh, also referred to as “The Shabbos queen,” as we find in the gemmorah, “Come, let us go out to greet the Shabbos queen!”[74] Its deeper meaning is not just to physically go outside in the manner of those who are accustomed to go out to the field and the like, but that we step out of our “selves” and transform ourselves into something transparent.

The Zohar says that a talmid chacham is called “Shabbos.”[75] Why? In line with how we’ve explained it so far, it makes sense. A talmid chacham is called “Shabbos” due to his being transparent, and that is also why he illuminates within himself the light of Shabbos kodesh. “This is the gate to Hashem, the tzaddikim will enter through it”[76]: the tzaddikim are themselves a gate, but not a gate like a door that opens but rather like something see-through. As a natural consequence, the light, which is Shabbos, shines in them. And if the light of Shabbos shines in them, then they themselves can also be called “Shabbos kodesh.”

The Preparation for Shabbos Kodesh – To Open the Gate and Cast Its Light on the Masses

Shabbos kodesh is essentially a hidden light, an inner light. A person who merits it, merits to enter to the palace of the king. But then the job of the person who merits it is to make himself into someone who doesn’t take up any space in the king’s palace.

What is this analogous to? A tzaddik comes to town. The inhabitants go out to greet him, that is, they want to see him. However, only those who are standing nearest to him can actually see him. Those in the second row already cannot see him. But if those standing closest to the tzaddik were like transparent glass, then even those behind them would also be able to see since the physicality of the person standing close to the tzaddik wouldn’t block the view of those standing further back. And more than this, had the person standing near the tzaddik attained a level of being a reflection of the tzaddik, then not only would he not obstruct those behind him, but he himself would be a vision of that tzaddik, in a manner of a mirror.

In this way, we can understand that the preparation that we need to do to prepare for Shabbos kodesh is no less than to transform ourselves into a gate. That is the job alluded to in the question isartem? This gate is not for our benefit, to bestow onto ourselves. A person who takes ma’aser for himself, he creates a gate for himself, and in this way it is like someone who hangs a sign on his entrance, “Private thoroughfare – entrance forbidden.” This is essentially a blocked gate and isn’t a source to anyone else. The true gate which we are opening is a passage for the multitudes!

A person prepares himself during the six days of the week to arrive at Shabbos kodesh, the source of blessing. A blessing for whom? Our job is to make ourselves into a transparent container. In this way, the blessing will not just be for me, but it can even be the source of blessing for the entire Jewish people.

Who grants the light of Shabbos kodesh? Shabbos is in the hidden treasure vaults of Hashem. If a person makes himself into a transparent vessel, then the light can shine out from Hashem’s treasure vaults. But if he makes himself into a thick, coarse vessel, it means that he is merely concerned about his own welfare [And in truth, he isn’t even benefitting himself for he has blocked the passageway completely].

Toiling during the Week – Purifying the Physical Element

The more that a person can purify himself during the week, whether it be through spiritual toiling in Torah to understand the 39 melochos (activities) forbidden to do on Shabbos [as brought by the holy Ba’al Shem Tov[T6] ], or whether he purifies himself through a physical toiling and performing those 39 melochos with his body, either way, the toil is meant to bring him to purification.

“Learning Torah is proper [when combined with] derech eretz (skilled labor), for the toil in the both of them causes sin to be forgotten.”[77] The Torah certainly causes sin to be forgotten. That is, it purifies a person. But how do we understand the effect of toiling in derech eretz? “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread.”[78] The punishment of the 39 melochos that we need to do during the six days of the week - working the land and the like - is in fact the refining of the physical element [in the aspect of “from the very wound comes the remedy”].

“Six days you will do your activities, and on the Shabbos you will rest.”[79] What is our work during the six days of the week, and why do we rest on the seventh?

What is this analogous to? Like a silver vessel that has become tarnished. We need to polish it. But if we over-polish it, the silver itself will be abraded, and we will have damaged the vessel. Six days we polish the vessel in order that it become see-through. Therefore, “six days you will do work,” until you will have reached a state where you are a clear vessel. But once you attain that level, if you continue to polish then you will actually be subtracting from the container itself.

The function of the weekdays is not just that we are allowed to do work [even though this is certainly correct], but the deeper explanation of the matter is that the “six days you will work” is in order to transform ourselves into a see-through entity, such that Shabbos kodesh will be able to shine in you.

In the next chapter, we will explain with Hashem’s help, the work alluded to in the question aravtem?(Have you made an eruv?), since now that we have an understanding of the process of isartem? – to create the properly shaped opening and to bring bounty to those that need, the next step is to ensure that it doesn’t go to those that don’t need it.

May it be Hashem’s will that we merit such a level, to be a transparent container, as it were, to be a conduit for the light of Shabbos kodesh.