3,210. Motivating Others to Give Tzedakah

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:5

If a needy person requests charity and one has nothing to give him, he should comfort him with words. It is prohibited to chastise a needy person or to scream at him, because he’s already heartbroken and devastated, and Psalms 51:19 teaches us that “God will not reject a broken and devastated heart.” Furthermore, Isaiah 57:15 tells us that God “revives the spirit of the downtrodden and invigorates the heart of the devastated.” Woe to one who shames the poor! Rather, one must be like a father to him, both in terms of mercy and words, as per Job 29:16: “I am a father to the destitute.”

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:6

The person who causes others to give charity and motivates them receives greater reward than the one who gives. This is inferred from Isaiah 32:17: “The act of charity is peace.” It is stated regarding charity collectors and similar people that “those who bring merit to the masses are like the stars” (Daniel 12:3).