Subject: In Memory of Baruch Yitzchak ben Yirmiyahu (Barry Pessin)
From: Heath Berkin <heath.berkin@gmail.com>
Date: 4/8/2016, 4:07 AM
To: Heath Berkin <heath.berkin@gmail.com>
BCC: menachem@alonsystems.com

The Mishna (3:13) in Avos says : tithes, are a fence for wealth.

The Mishna is explained that not only does tithing and giving charity protect one's wealth but it is also a means to acquire wealth. This is in fact how our Sages interpret the prophecy of Malachi, in which Hashem promises to open the windows of prosperity for those who tithe. The Sages in fact tell us that in this thing only a person can "test" G-d. Meaning they can test G-d if they give the required amount of tithes that He will enrich them and provide them with all of their needs.

Our Sages compare charity and one's wealth to salt and meat. When people needed to preserve their meat they would need to place it in a bit of salt, not a lot of salt, but a certain amount. So too, a person needs to give a certain amount of charity in order to preserve their "meat" wealth. They tell of a young woman whose father and father-in-law were two of the richest Jewish men in the time of the destruction of the Second Temple. She was found utterly destitute and when they asked what happened to all of her families money  she told them that their money was lost because they didn't give charity properly.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath