The
various types of offerings brought on the altar in the Sanctuary and in
Jerusalem were classified as Major Sanctity and Lesser Sanctity. The Mincha
(meal) offering of the poor is called Kodesh Kodoshim (Major Sanctity) "like the
sin-offering" of the repentant.1
Abarbanel, the great Spanish commentator, observes that while other offerings
may be of relatively minor sacredness, those of the poor, who give with
sacrifice and self-denial, are of major holiness. Similarly, the expression of
contrition by the erstwhile sinner, his remorse for evildoing, is cherished by
his merciful Creator.
The wealthy need not patronize their less grandly
endowed brothersThe
significance of the offering lies less in its quantitative measure than in the
degree that the donor is involved, how much of himself he offers. The wealthy
with their more lavish philanthropies need not patronize their less grandly
endowed brothers. At the same time, the measure for G-d being the heart, it ill
becomes the modest contributor to charity to deprecate the wealthy or to boast
of his own relative generosity ("if I can give five dollars he can give ten
thousand..."). While the negotiable value of the large gifts of the wealthy is
not diminished by pride, small charities given arrogantly have little material
or spiritual significance.
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