Upon enquiring after their welfare as is becoming to those who love His Name— "May my word drop and my speech trickle as dew" to those who offer themselves willingly among the people to practise the righteousness of the Lord (tzidkat Hashem) with His Holy Land, by giving every year a set sum of monies for our Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and reestablished speedily, in our days. (I call upon you,) to bestir the alert and to strengthen weak hands, to contribute monies for the Land of Israel every week, or at least every month, of the amount assigned as the year's apportionment, as well as all the "dedicated money" that one was inspired to donate annually, without a vow, for the support of our brethren who live in the Holy Land.

For, note, besides that it is known to all the great virtue of alertness with respect to all commandments—

[Thus it is mentioned repeatedly in the sayings of our sages, of blessed memory: "At all times one should try to be first when it comes to a commandment." Also, it is the alertness of our father Abraham, peace to him, that stands by us and our children, for everlasting. For the akedah itself is not really regarded as so great a test in relation to the level of our father Abraham, peace to him, especially as G‑d said to him "please take your son,,.." After all, there are numerous saints who gave their lives for the sanctification of the Lord even though that G‑d did not speak to them. However, our father Abraham, peace to him, did this with a wondrous alertness, to show his joy and desire to fulfil the will of his Master, and to cause gratification to his Maker. And from him our sages, of blessed memory, derived (the requirement of alertness) with respect to the keeping of all the commandments in general; and in particular with respect to the act of charity which is superior to them all, protecting and saving by its "fruits" in this world from all kinds of calamities that may come about, as it is written: "And tzedakah saves from death," thus, a fortiori, from other kinds of suffering that are lighter than death. It is, thus, certainly to our benefit, even in this world, to be as zealous with it as possible, for, after all, "Man is judged every day."]

Indeed, we also found and noted in the service of charity a particularly great and wondrous advantage, without parallel: the act of charity is performed in numerous times, and whoever performs it frequently is praiseworthy. This is in contrast to performing it in one time and all at once, even when the total sum is the same, as R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, wrote in (his) Commentary on the Mishnah taught by the sages, of blessed memory: "And everything according to the quantity of the act."

Now, besides that, R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, explained well this reason and motive ["In order to refine the soul by means of the quantitative action"], there is an explicit verse in Scripture that "The effect of tzedakah is for life." This means, its effect and affection is to elicit supreme life from the Fountain-head of life, the blessed En Sof, to the Land of Life, the Abode (Shechinah) of our strength of which it is said "And You animate them all." It is the hut of David that has fallen even unto the dust, and as the saying of our sages, of blessed memory: "When they were exiled to Edom, the Shechinah went with them ..." (This effect of tzedakah is brought about) because the arousal from below, to revive the spirit of the humbled who has nothing at all of his own, elicits an arousal from above; and especially so when the people offer voluntarily to sustain the inhabitants of the actual Land of Life, and suffice this for the initiated.

Now, whoever is enlightened as to so great and wondrous a matter, will find to the best of discernment and knowledge how profound are the words of the sages, of blessed memory, when they said "Everything according to the quantity of the act." This refers to the act of charity which is performed at numerous times to elicit supreme life in order to bring about a Supreme Unification (yichud)— many times. This is also similar to what R. Moses Maimonides wrote "to refine the soul;" as is known from the sacred Zohar that the Shechinah is called nefesh (soul)— because she is our life and our soul. And it is written: "Our soul is bent low, to the dust." And that is why our sages, of blessed .memory, said: "Great is charity, for it brings close the redemption"— to raise (the Shechinah) from the dust, gradually, "until Shilo will come."