Sublime

Devarim 15:8. Kesubos 67b infers from the Hebrew phrase employed that the mitzvah of giving charity involves giving a person not merely enough to satisfy his basic necessities, but also enough to enable him to maintain

A mitzvah is what Jews do in response to the divine. A mitzvah is value-in-action—a deed filled with good. Mitzvot are the praxis of Judaism.

A mitzvah is a connection ritual, a sacred technology which brings you into an intimate bond with G-d.

So too, there are people who have a natural desire for connecting to God through mitzvot that are directly focused on God (bein adam la’Makom), while they may not strongly desire to be involved in mitzvot that are directed toward ethics (bein adam l’chavero). Conversely, there are some

while the Hebrew word mitzvah does literally mean “command,” the Aramaic—the language of the Talmud and the Kaddish prayer—word for mitzvah, tzavta, means “connection” or “link.”

Mitzvot are commandments the way wanting to please your parent or spouse is a commandment.

Judaism’s mitzvot, then, are the deeds that allow us to meet and respond: to the Divine and to each other through our behavior. The commandedness of the mitzvot comes from within—the imperatives that emerge from empathy, love, and belonging—and blossom into the sacred actions that can transform our world and bind our hearts.

Charity is the comprehensive tikkun for business activity. With every step a person takes as he goes about his business, with every word he speaks and every ounce of strength he puts into his work, he should have it in mind that his only goal is to give charity from the money he earns (29:9).

Ahavas Chesed (2:3; 5:3; 6:9) writes that even a person who derives his livelihood from lending must give an interest free loan if approached by a Jewish borrower who needs money to buy his basic necessities. Indeed, giving such a loan takes precedence over the lender’s desire to generate additional income to provide for a more lavish lifestyle.