Tikun Olam-Fixing the World 3

(Ketubot 67b) Our Rabbis taught: If an orphan applied for assistance to marry, a house must be rented for him, a bed must be prepared for him and [he must also be supplied with] all [household] objects [required for] his use, and then he is given a wife in marriage, for it is said in Scriptures, Sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth: 'sufficient for his need', refers to the house; 'in that which he wanteth', refers to a bed and a table; 'he' (lit. "for him") refers to a wife, for so it is said in Scripture, I will make for him a help meet unto him.
Our Rabbis taught: 'Sufficient for his need' [implies] you are commanded to maintain him, but you are not commanded to make him rich; 'in that which he wanteth' [includes] even a horse to ride upon and a servant to run before him. It was related about Hillel the Elder that he bought for a certain poor man who was of a good family a horse to ride upon and a servant to run before him. On one occasion he could not find a servant to run before him, so he himself ran before him for three miles.

In the Jewish perception of charity, there is also a demand for dignity. In the U.S., the allotment for public assistance for food is under $5/day. The cost of the bureaucracy around that is huge, costing several times that amount per person. The reception at the Public Assistance offices is not only chilly, but downright degrading. Often the benefits are stopped for no apparent reason, and one must go for a hearing to prove that one is still poor. On the other hand, the system is abused by many. One often sees people in luxury vehicles coming to apply for "Welfare". Cheats are rarely punished. The rich complain that there is ANY assistance. Five dollars a day won't buy much more than a cup of coffee. One is made to feel that he is indeed part of Calvin's damned. The Jewish approach is totally different. If one comes asking for food or clothing, that is to be immediately provided. (People rarely lie to get these things). If requesting money, he is to provide references from those who know his situation. The often heard "rule" that one must always give something has no halachic basis, although if they come to our door, it is proper not to send them away empty-handed. Again, dignity. If the person is indeed in need of assistance, the community is to provide not only his basic needs, but enough to live a decent life. When I received the generous help of the Satmar community in 1980, (as I have previously written about), I didn't need to beg. They had agents going around to find out who was in need. They approached me, and pleaded with me to accept their help. The deliveries came in the middle of the night, so no one would see who is being assisted. The food was plentiful, and it always included treats for the children. A child must not know poverty. The above Talmudic passage indicates that not only are basic needs to be met, but, as far as possible, to allow the person to live in accordance with the way of life he had been used to before falling on hard times. Rabbi Nachman, who certainly had no sympathy for materialism, remarked "a complete recovery is possible from any disease, except poverty". The wounds of not having anything to eat, to have to tell one's children that they will need to make do with wearing rags, to not know if a roof over the family's heads will be possible next month, leaves scars that never really heal. Dignity is implied by Man being in G-d's image. This is Gemilut Hasadim. This is Tikun Olam.