AND ON THE DAY THAT THE TABERNACLE WAS REARED UP. R. Hiya cited here the verse: “He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the needy, his righteousness stands for ever” (Ps. 112, 9). ‘The term “scattered” here’, he said, ‘is to be interpreted in the light of the saying: “There is that scattereth, and increaseth all the more” (Prov. 11, 24), that is, increaseth in riches, increases in life.
Besides, the term nosaf(increaseth) has the secondary meaning of “gathering in”, thus pointing to the region of death. The verse thus says that such a man draws to himself, where death would otherwise have been, an increase of life from on high.’ R. Judah said, in the name of R. Hiya: ‘This verse testifies that whoever gives to the poor induces the Tree of Life to add of itself to the Tree of Death,1The Shekinah. so that life and joy prevail on high, and so that that man, whenever in need, has the Tree of Life to stand by him and the Tree of Death to shield him.
The verse continues, “and his charity1zidkatho=his righteousness; in later Hebrew=his charity. standeth for ever”, that is, it stands by him to provide him with life and strength; as he has awakened life, so will the two Trees stand by him to shield him and grant him an increase of life.’
1The following passage does not appear in our Hebrew text. R. Abba said: ‘Every time the tabernacle was set up by the hands of men there was a day of universal joy, and the sacred Oil was poured into the lamps, and these all shed their light abroad, and those who brought this about won redemption for themselves in this world and life in the next. Thus “righteousness delivereth from death”.’
(במדבר ט׳:ט״ו) וּבְיוֹם הָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן. רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח, (תהילים קי״ב:ט׳) פִּזַּר נָתַן לָאֶבְיוֹנִים צִדְקָתוֹ עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד קַרְנוֹ תָּרוּם בְכָבוֹד. פִּזַּר לָאֶבְיוֹנִים, מַאי פִּזַּר. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (משלי י״א:כ״ד) יֵשׁ מְפַזֵּר וְנוֹסָף עוֹד. יָכוֹל פִּזּוּר בְּעָלְמָא, קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן פִּזַּר נָתַן לָאֶבְיוֹנִים, כֵּיוָן דְּיָהִיב לְמִסְכְּנֵי, הַאי פִּזּוּרָא יָאוּת. מַאי וְנוֹסָף עוֹד. בְּכֹלָּא. וְנוֹסָף עוֹד בְּעוּתְרָא. וְנוֹסָף עוֹד בְּחַיֵּי.
AND ON THE DAY THAT THE TABERNACLE WAS REARED UP. R. Hiya cited here the verse: “He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the needy, his righteousness stands for ever” (Ps. 112, 9). ‘The term “scattered” here’, he said, ‘is to be interpreted in the light of the saying: “There is that scattereth, and increaseth all the more” (Prov. 11, 24), that is, increaseth in riches, increases in life.
הַאי קְרָא הָכִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, יֵשׁ מְפַזֵּר וְיוֹסֵף עוֹד, מַאי וְנוֹסַף. אֶלָּא הַהוּא אֲתָר דְּשָׁרֵי בֵּיהּ מִיתָה, הוּא גָּרִים לֵיהּ דְּיִתוֹסַף מֵחַיִים דִּלְעֵילָּא לְאוֹסְפָא לֵיהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, קְרָא אַסְהִיד, דְּכָל מַאן דְּיָהִיב לְמִסְכְּנֵי, אִתְעַר אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי, לְאוֹסְפָא לְהַהִיא אִילָנָא דְּמוֹתָא, וּכְדֵין אִשְׁתְּכַח חַיִּים וְחֵדוּ לְעֵילָּא. וּבַר נָשׁ דְּגָרִים דָּא, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ, הַהוּא אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי קָאִים עָלֵיהּ, וְהַהוּא אִילָנָא דְּמוֹתָא אַגִּין עֲלוֹי. וּבְגִין כַּךְ וְנוֹסַף עוֹד. (כמה דאת אמר)
Besides, the term nosaf(increaseth) has the secondary meaning of “gathering in”, thus pointing to the region of death. The verse thus says that such a man draws to himself, where death would otherwise have been, an increase of life from on high.’ R. Judah said, in the name of R. Hiya: ‘This verse testifies that whoever gives to the poor induces the Tree of Life to add of itself to the Tree of Death,1The Shekinah. so that life and joy prevail on high, and so that that man, whenever in need, has the Tree of Life to stand by him and the Tree of Death to shield him.
(תהילים קי״ב:ט׳) צִדְקָתוֹ עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד. מַאי עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד. עוֹמֶדֶת עָלֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, לְזַמְּנָא לֵיהּ קִיוּמָא וְחַיִּים, כְּמָה דְּאִיהוּ יָהִיב לֵיהּ חַיִּים, וְאַתְעַר לְגַבֵּי חַיִּין, הָכִי נָמֵי יַהֲבִין לֵיהּ. וְאִינּוּן תְּרֵי אִילָנִין (יהבין ליה) קַיְימִין עָלֵיהּ לְשֵׁיזָבָא לֵיהּ, וּלְאוֹסְפָא לֵיהּ חַיִּין.
The verse continues, “and his charity1zidkatho=his righteousness; in later Hebrew=his charity. standeth for ever”, that is, it stands by him to provide him with life and strength; as he has awakened life, so will the two Trees stand by him to shield him and grant him an increase of life.’
קַרְנוֹ תָּרוּם בְכָבוֹד, תָּא חֲזֵי עָלְמָא דְּאַמָרָן, הַהוּא (ק"כ ע"א) קֶרֶן תָּרוּם. וּבְמָה. בְכָבוֹד דִּלְעֵילָּא, דְּהַאי בַּר נָשׁ גָּרִים לְחַבְּרָא לוֹן כַּחֲדָא, וּלְאַרְקָא בִּרְכָאן לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָא.
רִבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר, בְּכָל זִמְנָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא אִתְּקַם בְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, כְּדֵין הַהוּא יוֹמָא, יוֹמָא דְּחֶדְוָוה דְּכֹלָּא, וּמָשַׁח רְבוּת קַדִישָׁא אִתְרַק בְּהַנְהוּ בּוֹצִינִין, וְנַהֲרִין כֻּלְּהוּ. מַאן דְּגָרִים דָּא, גָּרִים לֵיהּ (בההוא עלמא דאתי) דְּיִשְׁתְּזִיב בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וִיהֵא לֵיהּ חַיִּים בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי י״א:ד׳) וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוְת, וּכְתִיב (משלי ד׳:י״ח) וְאֹרַח צַדִיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם.
1The following passage does not appear in our Hebrew text. R. Abba said: ‘Every time the tabernacle was set up by the hands of men there was a day of universal joy, and the sacred Oil was poured into the lamps, and these all shed their light abroad, and those who brought this about won redemption for themselves in this world and life in the next. Thus “righteousness delivereth from death”.’