Parshat 'Reeh' - According to the Gift of His Hand

When a person regards what he has as something given to him by Hashem, it becomes easier for him to give to others. It is a special deposit, which a person is permitted to use according to his needs — but the surplus he must give to others.

At the end of parashat 'Re'eh' appears the matter of the three pilgrimage festivals, and of the offerings that the festival pilgrims must bring on them. The verse that seals the parashah is[1]: 'Every man according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Hashem your G-d which He has given you.' According to the plain explanation, the meaning is that each person must bring offerings according to his means, and as Hashem has blessed him. The plain meaning is that one should not skimp on the offerings, but some explain[2] that one should also not offer beyond one's ability, lest the person offering come to a situation in which he will need the help of others.

And we can explain the verse from another direction. Sometimes, it is difficult for a person to part with his money, for he toils and struggles to obtain it, but when one understands that what is in our possession is actually a gift and blessing from Hashem, then things go more easily. And according to this, one can resolve the difficulty seemingly present in the verse: "Each according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Hashem... which He has given you." "According to the gift of his hand" - in third person (hidden), even though throughout the entire portion there is second person address toward Israel, and seemingly it should have been written: "according to the gift of your hand." And if we explain that "according to the gift of His hand" (third person) refers to the gift of the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He[3] (and not of man), everything becomes clear. When a person relates to what he has as something that was given to him by Hashem, then it is easier for him to give to others.

And our Sages taught in Pirkei Avot[4] that a person should dedicate all the gifts he has received from the Creator of the world for the sake of Heaven, and not necessarily his money: his strength, his courage, his wisdom, his memory, his pleasant voice[5], and all the gifts that have been deposited with him by the Creator of the world. And it is a special deposit. Usually, a person is not permitted to use a deposit that has been left with him, but regarding deposits that have been left with him by the Creator of the world, he is permitted to use them for his needs, but the surplus he must give to others. "A parable of a king who gave a thousand zuz to his servant and said to him: Take the hundred for yourself and give the nine hundred to nine people, and wasn't he happy?"[6]

[1] Devarim Chapter 16 Verse 17.

[2] Commentary of the Sforno.

[3] Based on the commentary "Kli Yakar."

[4] Chapter 3 Mishnah 7: Rabbi Elazar Ish Bartota says: Give Him from what is His, for you and what is yours are His. And so David says: For from You is everything, and from Your hand we have given to You (Divrei HaYamim 1 Chapter 29 Verse 14).

[5] Commentary "Tiferet Yisrael."

[6] Commentary "Magen Avot" by Rashbatz in the name of Rabbeinu Yonah.