In Memory of Rabbi Wein

Every single day — not once in a while, but every day — in our synagogue, there are people in line at the door asking for help.

Some we recognize, some are strangers passing through.

They come with letters, envelopes, sometimes with tears.

And if you think about it — many of them come hoping that today will be the day their prayers are answered.

There’s a danger here.

Not that we’ll stop giving — but that we’ll start giving without feeling.

That our hands will stay open, but our hearts will close.

The Torah’s Words

In Parashat Re’eh (Devarim 15:7–8), the Torah says:

“כִּֽי־יִהְיֶה֩ בְךָ֨ אֶבְי֜וֹן מֵאַחַ֤ד אַחֶ֙יךָ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּאַ֨רְצְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁר־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹ֧א תְאַמֵּ֣ץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֗ וְלֹ֤א תִקְפֹּץ֙ אֶת־יָ֣דְךָ֔ מֵאָחִ֖יךָ הָאֶבְיֽוֹן׃

“If there is a needy person among you, one of your brothers, in one of your gates in your land that Hashem your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and do not close your hand from your needy brother.”

“כִּֽי־פָתֹ֧חַ תִּפְתַּ֛ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֖ ל֑וֹ וְהַעֲבֵט֙ תַּעֲבִיטֶ֔נּוּ דֵּ֚י מַחְסֹר֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֶחְסַ֖ר לֽוֹ׃”

“Rather, you shall surely open your hand to him, and lend him whatever he needs, whatever he is lacking.”

Notice:

• The Torah doesn’t just say “open your hand.” It says “open your hand to him.”

• And it begins not with the hand, but with the heart: “Do not harden your heart.”

Testing Hashem Halacha 08112025

Devarim 6:16: “לֹא תְנַסּוּ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, כַּאֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתֶם בַּמַּסָּה”

“Do not test Hashem your God, as you tested Him at Massah.”

This forbids challenging Hashem to “prove” Himself by fulfilling our conditions. The Torah is recalling the incident in Shemot 17:1–7:

• The people had no water and demanded:

“הֲיֵשׁ ה׳ בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אָיִן — Is Hashem in our midst or not?”

• They challenged Moshe to “prove” that Hashem was with them.

• That place was called Massah (“testing”) because they tested Hashem by saying, “Is He among us or not?”

Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 435

The prohibition is to set up a situation in which we demand Hashem prove Himself, as though we will only trust Him if He fulfills certain conditions.

• This is the opposite of emunah — trust without conditions.

• We are to believe and rely on Hashem because of His word, His Torah, and His proven history with us — not because we demand a personal miracle.

Testing Hashem can take many modern forms:

1. Making Deals with Heaven – “If You do X for me, I’ll start keeping Shabbat.” That’s not a covenant — it’s a test.

2. Reckless Risk Expecting Miracles – Putting oneself in danger and saying, “Hashem will protect me,” instead of taking normal precautions.

3. Demanding Signs – Refusing to believe or act unless a supernatural sign occurs.

4. Treating Mitzvot as Experiments – Performing a mitzvah “just to see if it works” rather than as service to Hashem.

That said, Chazal (Malachi 3:10) make one exception: When it comes to ma‘aser (tithing), the Torah says, “וּבְחָנוּנִי נָא בָּזֹאת — Test Me with this,” meaning we are invited to see how Hashem blesses those who give generously.

The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 435) teaches: • In all areas of life, faith means trusting Hashem without setting conditions.

• But with tzedakah and ma‘aser, Hashem gives explicit permission to “test” Him — because giving away part of our wealth feels like loss, and Hashem wants us to experience the truth that generosity brings blessing.