יְהוָ֤ה ׀ יִשְׁמְרֵ֣הוּ וִֽ֭יחַיֵּהוּ יאשר [וְאֻשַּׁ֣ר] בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְאַֽל־תִּ֝תְּנֵ֗הוּ בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ אֹיְבָֽיו׃
L’Éternel le protégera, lui conservera la vie, et il jouira du bonheur sur la terre: tu ne le livreras pas à la fureur de ses ennemis.
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
R. Juda in the name of Samuel said: "Whoever visits a sick person will be saved from the ffiudgment of Gehenna, as it is said (Pa. 41, 2) Happy is he that careth for the poor (Dal). On the day of evil [ra'a] will the Lord deliver him. Dal. (poor), refers to a sick person, as it is said (Is. 38, 12) From pining sickness (midalla) will He snatch me away; or from the following passage (II Sam. 13, 4) Why O son of the king, art thou thus becoming leaner from day to day? And again ra'ah refers to Gehenna, as it is said (Prov. 16, 4) Everything hath the Lord wrought for its destined end: Yea even the wicked for the day of unhappiness (ra'ah). But if one does visit [a sick person] what will be his reward? Why his reward will be as we said before; he will be saved from Gehenna? We must therefore explain it thus: What will be his reward in this world? Everything mentioned in the following passage (Ps. 41, 3) The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive; he shall be made happy on the earth; and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the revengeful desire of his enemies; i.e., the Lord will preserve him from the evil inclination and keep him alive from agonies; he shall be happy on the earth, that all will honor him; and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the revengeful desires of his enemies. He will happen to meet associates like those of Na'amon, who advised him how to he cured of his leprosy, but he will not chance to meet friends like those who happened to associate with Rehobo'am, who caused the division of the latter's kingdom. We are taught in a Baraitha, R. Simon b. Elazar said: "If the elders tell you to destroy, and the young tell you to build, rather destroy according to the advice of the elders and do not build, because the destruction of the elders equals to building, while the building of the young equals to destruction. An example of this may be brought from the case of Rehabo'am, son of Solomon."
Vayikra Rabbah
“If your brother will become poor, and his means fail in proximity to you; you shall support him, stranger or resident alien, and he shall live with you” (Leviticus 25:35).
“If your brother will become poor” – that is what is written: “Happy is one who attends to the indigent; the Lord will deliver him on a day of evil” (Psalms 41:2).1The midrash is based on the conclusion of the verse: “He shall live with you.” The point being made is that the individual providing the assistance will himself benefit along with the individual he is helping. Abba bar Yimeya said in the name of Rabbi Meir: This is one who crowns the good inclination over the evil inclination. Isi said: This is one who gives a peruta to the poor. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: This is one who buries an unattended corpse. The Rabbis say: This is one who extricates himself from the tyrants.2He refuses a position of authority in a tyrannical regime that would have caused him to persecute others. Some commentaries assert that the text should not include the word “himself,” in which case the meaning would be: one who assists another in escaping persecution from tyrants (Etz Yosef). Rav Huna said: This is one who visits the ill, as Rav Huna said: Anyone who visits the ill, they subtract one-sixtieth of his illness. They raised an objection to Rav Huna: ‘If so, let sixty enter and he will descend with them to the marketplace.’ He said to them: ‘Sixty [would relieve him of his illness], provided that they love him as themselves; but in any case, they benefit him.’
According to the opinion of Abba bar Yimeya, who said in the name of Rabbi Meir: This is one who crowns the good inclination over the evil inclination, [the proof is] as it is written: “The Lord will protect him” (Psalms 41:3) – from the evil inclination. According to the opinion of Isi, who said: This is one who gives a peruta to the poor, [the proof is] as it is written: “And will sustain him” (Psalms 41:3). According to the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, who said: This is one who buries an unattended corpse, it is as it is written: “He will be made happy in the earth” (Psalms 41:3). According to the opinion of the Rabbis, who said: This is one who extricates himself from the tyrants, it is as it is written: “You will not submit him to the will of his enemies” (Psalms 41:3). According to the opinion of Rav Huna, who said: This is one who visits the ill, it is as it is written: “The Lord will support him on a sickbed” (Psalms 41:4).
Rabbi Yona said: “Happy is one who gives to the indigent” is not written here, but rather, “happy is one who attends to the indigent” – look at him [in order to ascertain] how to benefit him. Rabbi Yona, when he would see a well-born individual who became impoverished, and was ashamed to take [charity], he would go to him and say to him: ‘Because I heard that an inheritance has come to you overseas, here is this object; when your financial situation eases, you will give it back to me.’ When he would come to give it back to him, he would say to him: ‘I gave it to you as a gift.’
Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina: Twenty-two times it is written: “Happy [ashrei].” And of them all, only this one receives a reward. What reward does he receive? “The Lord will deliver him” (Psalms 41:2). Therefore, Moses cautions them: “If your brother will become poor.”
“If your brother will become poor” – that is what is written: “Happy is one who attends to the indigent; the Lord will deliver him on a day of evil” (Psalms 41:2).1The midrash is based on the conclusion of the verse: “He shall live with you.” The point being made is that the individual providing the assistance will himself benefit along with the individual he is helping. Abba bar Yimeya said in the name of Rabbi Meir: This is one who crowns the good inclination over the evil inclination. Isi said: This is one who gives a peruta to the poor. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: This is one who buries an unattended corpse. The Rabbis say: This is one who extricates himself from the tyrants.2He refuses a position of authority in a tyrannical regime that would have caused him to persecute others. Some commentaries assert that the text should not include the word “himself,” in which case the meaning would be: one who assists another in escaping persecution from tyrants (Etz Yosef). Rav Huna said: This is one who visits the ill, as Rav Huna said: Anyone who visits the ill, they subtract one-sixtieth of his illness. They raised an objection to Rav Huna: ‘If so, let sixty enter and he will descend with them to the marketplace.’ He said to them: ‘Sixty [would relieve him of his illness], provided that they love him as themselves; but in any case, they benefit him.’
According to the opinion of Abba bar Yimeya, who said in the name of Rabbi Meir: This is one who crowns the good inclination over the evil inclination, [the proof is] as it is written: “The Lord will protect him” (Psalms 41:3) – from the evil inclination. According to the opinion of Isi, who said: This is one who gives a peruta to the poor, [the proof is] as it is written: “And will sustain him” (Psalms 41:3). According to the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, who said: This is one who buries an unattended corpse, it is as it is written: “He will be made happy in the earth” (Psalms 41:3). According to the opinion of the Rabbis, who said: This is one who extricates himself from the tyrants, it is as it is written: “You will not submit him to the will of his enemies” (Psalms 41:3). According to the opinion of Rav Huna, who said: This is one who visits the ill, it is as it is written: “The Lord will support him on a sickbed” (Psalms 41:4).
Rabbi Yona said: “Happy is one who gives to the indigent” is not written here, but rather, “happy is one who attends to the indigent” – look at him [in order to ascertain] how to benefit him. Rabbi Yona, when he would see a well-born individual who became impoverished, and was ashamed to take [charity], he would go to him and say to him: ‘Because I heard that an inheritance has come to you overseas, here is this object; when your financial situation eases, you will give it back to me.’ When he would come to give it back to him, he would say to him: ‘I gave it to you as a gift.’
Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina: Twenty-two times it is written: “Happy [ashrei].” And of them all, only this one receives a reward. What reward does he receive? “The Lord will deliver him” (Psalms 41:2). Therefore, Moses cautions them: “If your brother will become poor.”
Midrash Tehillim
Another thing: "Happy is the one who is attentive to the poor" (Proverbs 19:17). Rabbi Yochanan said, "Anyone who visits the sick diminishes his suffering by one sixtieth, but one who does not visit him adds to his suffering by one sixtieth." Rabbi Abba said, "If it were according to the opinion of Rabbi Yochanan, they would roll out the red carpet for him even for a person of low status." He replied, "As long as they love him like themselves, and even so, they gain from it." Rabbi Elazar said, "One who buries the dead is fulfilling a mitzvah." Rabbi Abba said, "One who subdues his evil inclination with his good inclination is a wise person." Rabbi Asi said, "One who gives a coin to a poor person, as it is said, 'He who watches over him will be given life.'" And what is the reason for Rabbi Yochanan's opinion? Because it is written, "The Lord will sustain him upon his bed of illness" (Psalm 41:4). And what is the reason for the opinion that burying the dead is a mitzvah? As it is written, "And he will be blessed upon the earth" (Psalm 41:3).