Halakhah sa Deuteronomio 15:11: Mishneh Torah, Repentance, Mishneh Torah, Gifts to the Poor, Kitzur Shulchan Arukh & Mishneh Torah, Positive Mitzvot

But what is this that king David said: "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore doth he instruct sinners in the way. He guideth the humble in justice; and He teacheth the humble His way" (Ibid. 210.11)? This is a reference to the prophets who were sent to make the ways of God known, and to turn the people to repentance. Moreover, He endowed them with a power to study and understand, as it is the tendency of every man to pursue wisdom and righteousness as long as he is trained in the ways of wisdom. This is in harmony with what our Masters, of blessed memory! said: "He who comes to be cleansed receives aid"³Shabbat, 104a; Yoma, 38b. Minahot, 29a. G., as if saying: "He will find himself aided in the matter he strives after. Now, reverting back to the subject of predestination is it not written in the Torah: "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them" (Gen. 113), lo, here is a decree against the Egyptians to do evil? And it, moreover, written: "And this people will rise up, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land" (Deut. 31.16), lo, here is a decree against Israel to worship idolatry, then why visit retribution upon them? Because He did not decree that that particularly known person shall be the one to go astray. Forsooth, every individual of those who did go astray to worship idolatry, had he not done so to worship of his own free will, he would not have worshiped. And God made known no more than custom of the world. This is like to one who says: "Among this people will be righteous and wicked". Not because of this will the wicked one say that it had long since been decreed that he should be an evildoer, seeing that God made known to Moses that there will be wicked people among Israel. Or, this is like the subject of poverty, of which it is said: "For the poor shall never cease out of the land" (Ibid. 15.11). Likewise the Egyptians, if each and every one of those who vexed and wronged Israel had no desire so to wrong them, he had it in his power to refrain from doing it; for, He did not decree against a particular man, but made known to Abraham that in the end his seed will be enslaved in a land which is not theirs. But we have already stated that it is not within the power to comprehend the foreknowledge of the Holy One, blessed is He!

A poor person who is a relative takes precedence over anyone else. The poor of one's household take precedence over the poor of one's city. The poor of one's city take precedence over the poor of another city, as it is said, (Deut. 15:11) Open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land.¹⁴¹See Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 71a. A new principle becomes present here. As opposed to giving agricultural produce, which was on a strict "first-come, first-serve" basis, family and community relationships now dictate the giving of tzedakah.

The redemption of captives held for ransom takes precedence over sustaining the poor and clothing them. You do not find a mitzvah greater than the redemption of captives, for captivity is in the same category as famine, drought, or exposure, and one stands in danger to one's life. One who averts his eyes from redeeming [the captive] transgresses [the commandment], (Deut. 15:7) Do not harden your heart and shut your hand, and (Lev. 19:16) Do not stand upon the blood of your neighbor, and (Lev. 25:53) He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight, and nullifies the commandment (Deut. 15:8) You must open your hand, and the commandment, (Lev. 25:36) Let him live by your side as your kinsman, and (Lev. 19:18) Love your fellow as yourself, and (Proverbs 24:11) If you refrained from rescuing those taken off to death, [those condemned to slaughter--if you say, "We knew nothing of it," surely He who fathoms hearts will discern], and many such sayings. You cannot find a greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.¹⁵³See Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 8a-b on the importance of redeeming captives and Chullin 7a where Rabbi Phineas ben Yair travels to redeem captives and, on the way, a river parts for him, enabling him to pass through on dry land to fulfill his duty.