24 Jun THE QUESTION OF CHARITY-GIVING DURING DAVENING

It has been my practice,
with the help of
Hashem, throughout
my Rabbonus, to give
a variety of shiurim
throughout the night
of Shavuos. This year,
from 2:30 to 4:00 a.m., we had a lively
question and answer session. I’d like to
share with you, my dear readers, one of
the inquiries that created quite a spirited
discussion.
The question went like this. “Is it proper
for shuls to allow collectors to come in
and approach people for money while
they are davening? Isn’t this an unfair
distraction when people are trying to
concentrate on talking to Hashem?” With
righteous indignation, some pointed out
that car services park in front of the shul
with groups of collectors who appear
in waves, grossly disturbing the flow of
everyone’s davening. The prayer service,
they observed, already moves at a quick
pace and if people are busy with finding
money, getting change, and dealing
with niceties, they fall behind in their
prayers. Wouldn’t it be better to ban such
activities?

I recalled, that many years ago as the Rav
of the Agudas Yisroel of Staten Island I
was approached with a similar appeal to
prevent this type of interruption. They
proposed that perhaps we should do, like
another Shul in the neighborhood, that
had the poor people wait outside the Shul
and collect as the congregants left the
Shul. In this manner, the meshulachim
would not interrupt people’s davening.
I replied rather firmly that, as long as I
was the Rav of this shul, this change
will never happen. Surprised by my
vehemence, they asked me why. I told
them that the Shulchan Orech says that
when we daven, we should view ourselves
as an, “Ani, omeid al hapesach – A poor
man standing by the door,” as the verse
describes prayer, “Tefilah l’ani k’yatof –
A prayer of the poor when he feels faint.”
Our time, precisely while we are praying
is especially suited for this handy midah
k’neged midah, measure for measure:
“Look Hashem, as I pray and offer my
hand to the poor, so too please hearken
to my prayer, the prayer from a poor man
like me.” The verse also says clearly,
“V’ani, b’tzedek, echezeh panecha –
And I, with charity, appear before You.”

This is the proper accompaniment to our
prayer.
I believe that Hashem is sending these
unfortunate people to us as a gift to
enhance and strengthen our prayers. As
we say, “V’ani sefilasi l’cha, Hashem, eis
ratzon – And I, may my prayers be before
You, at a time of favor.” It is a great time
of favor for us when we extend a helping
hand to another one of Hashem’s children.
This idea, that the ani is sent to improve
our prayer, is consistent with the idea that
Rabbi Akiva told Turnusrufus when he
asked Rabbi Akiva, “If Hashem loves the
poor, why doesn’t He take care of them.”
Rabbi Akiva answered, “So that the rest
of us will have the benefit of giving
charity and be saved from the punishment
of Gehenam.” So, we see the concept that
the poor are sent for our benefit.
The Kitzur Shulchan Orech brings from
the Medrash Shir HaShirim, “Tirah
d’lo tiftach l’anya, tiftach l’asya – The
door that does not open for the poor
person will need to open for a doctor.”
Thus, the poor person breaking into our
prayer reverie should not be viewed as
disturbing. Rather, he can be viewed as
helping us and saving us. Furthermore,
the specter of a row of meshulachim
standing in a line outside a shul in a
posture of begging always seemed to
me degrading in the extreme.
But, another thing struck me during
this year’s Shavuos night when so
many people joined the fray as to the
impropriety of such prayer disturbance.
I asked them if they thought that this
sense of irritation is coming from the
yeitzer tov, the good inclination, or the
yeitzer hara, the evil inclination. Are the
champions of banning the meshulachim
equally as vigilant to keep their phone
away from their davening? Does
checking their cellphone occasionally
at the buzz of a text raise their ire over
prayer distraction? Or, is it possible that
their irritation is being slyly motivated
by the yeitzer hara who is not happy at
all by the daily spiritual libations of so
much tzedakah?
This, by the way, is the normal modus
operandi of the yeitzer hara. The
Gemara in Masechtas Berachos [61]
teaches us that the yeitzer hara is domeh
l’zvuv, the evil inclination is similar to a
fly. This comparison is quite surprising
since the Gemara in Masechtas Baba
Basra teaches us that the yeitzer hara is
also the satan and the malach hamaves,
the prosecutor and the executioner. As
such, we would more readily think that

it should be compared to a scorpion, a
tarantula, or a rattlesnake. However,
one of the reasons it’s compared to a fly
is precisely because it does not appear
threatening. As the Vilna Gaon, zt”l,
zy”a, informs us in Even Shleimah, the
yeitzer hara doesn’t tell people of quality
directly to do bad. They wouldn’t listen.
He therefore mixes in good to confuse us,
like in our case where he tries to convince
us to take the attitude, “The nerve of these
poor people who come to disturb our
davening!”
When I look up wearing my tallis and
tefillin and I see a hand extended toward
me, I thank Hashem appreciatively that,
but with the grace of G-d, it could’ve
been my hand begging and he could’ve
been sitting comfortably and davening.
And then I try to give, grateful for the
opportunity to show Hashem that I
help those who are needy, and I reflect,
“Please, Hashem, help me and answer my
prayers for I am also in need.”
May Hashem bless us that we should
always be able to give and never need to
take, and be blessed with long life, good
health, and everything wonderful.