Preserving Another’s Pride
An amazing story about my grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a, taught me just how careful one must be to preserve his fellow Jew’s honor. My disciple, R’ Pinchas Avitan, related that during one of the pregnancies of his grandmother, may she rest in peace, she craved a fried tongue. Her family was extremely poor. They hardly knew the taste of meat, much less have it on their table. Her husband, much as he would have liked to please his young wife, did not have the means to satisfy her craving.
Suddenly, a voice was heard from outside. “Who does this kosher animal tongue belong to?” it called out. It was the voice of the tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto. Since no one claimed the meat, Rabbi Chaim deemed it hefker. Some moments passed, when suddenly, who should appear at the door of this couple but Rabbi Chaim Pinto himself, offering the meat as a gift. In this manner, his grandmother had her wish fulfilled.
How great is the power of the tzaddik, who saw with Divine vision that a pregnant woman craved an animal’s tongue and her husband could not afford it. The tzaddik felt for this woman and managed to secure her heart’s desire. But he did not merely offer a gift, gratis. He did it in an honorable way, as though he had found the meat lying on the street. In this manner, the poverty-stricken family was not ashamed by the gift of the tzaddik.
This is the way we should give charity. It should be done with utmost discretion, so that the poor never feel belittled or degraded by the fact that they must rely on the help of others.
