רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן אָמַר: אִידִישׁעֶ גַּשְׁמִיּוּת אִיז רוּחָנִיוּת, דעֶר אוֹיבּעֶרשׁטעֶר גִיט אוּנז גַּשְׁמִיּוּת, מִיר זאָלן דעֶרפוּן מאַכעֶן רוּחָנִיּוּת. אַמאָל אַז עֶס אִיז לְרֶגַע נִיט אַזוֹי, דאַרפעֶן געֶבּעֶן דעֶם אוֹיבּעֶרשׁטעֶן אֲפִילוּ מִנְחַת עָנִי גִיט עֶר אַ פוּלעֶ.

The Alter Rebbe declared: The material [concerns] of a Jew are [in truth] spiritual.1 G‑d gives us material things in order that we transform them into spirituality.

As for those times when this is briefly not the case [i.e., when G‑d does not bestow bountiful material blessings], we must give Him even a poor man’s offering.2 In response, G‑d grants ample blessings.3

Living in This World

Our Sages4 tell us that the Jewish people are G‑d’s partners in Creation. Together, He and we create a dwelling for Him on this material plane. G‑d created the physical world, and Jews endow that physical world with spiritual purpose through their Divine service. As chassidim would say: G‑d made a material world, creating an existent entity (yesh) from nothingness (ayin). The mission of His people is to return that existent entity (yesh) into Nothing (the Divine Ayin),5 by infusing material concerns with spiritual purpose.6

This is easier to do when our challenges are mainly spiritual, that is, when we must fulfill our mission without the onerous trials of material deprivation. But should that occur and we persist despite this hardship, giving tzedakah when we ourselves have little, we have the Alter Rebbe’s assurance that G‑d will respond with ample generosity.