“If your brother becomes impoverished that his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him.” (Vayikra 25:35)

We have an obligation to help a person when he suffers financially. In our current times, unfortunately, many people are suffering greatly with their finances and people might think, “how can I support someone else when I am so poor!” People might feel they have so little, how can they help others?

Many years ago, I was visiting a friend’s house for the first time. I drove through the development where this friend lived and was thinking, “My friend must be loaded with cash!” All of the houses in this development were huge mansions. The were majestic. Then, I came to my friend’s house and thought, “That’s it!”. Although the house was a very nice house, it was so tiny compared to the others in the neighborhood.

I began thinking about this: the owners of this house can think, “our house is so small – how can we call ourselves wealthy?” But that is when the house is compared to those in the same development. If this house was moved to a different development, though, it would be the biggest, most beautiful house in the neighborhood. It would look like a mansion surrounded by shacks. Everything depends on how the comparison is made.

The same is with us – our financial status depends on how we compare ourselves. One of the greatest Sages who ever lived was Rabi Akiva. Most, if not all, of the Oral Torah comes from him. No one was as poor as Rabi Akiva. He and his wife would pick the straw from each other’s hair in the morning after they woke up from the little bits of straw they slept on. His situation was extremely difficult. One day, a man (who was really Eliahu) knocked on his door asking for straw for his new baby to sleep on. At this point, Rabi Akiva and his wife, Rochel, realized how wealthy they were. They at least had straw. At this point, Rochel told her husband to quit his job and go learn. They had more than enough money to survive and Akiva should dedicate his life to Torah. And this began his career of growing to be one of the greatest Sages who ever lived!

What made Rabi Akiva so great? It was when he realized how wealthy he was. When he compared himself to the average people in his neighborhood, he felt he was poor. When he realized someone who had less, though, he realized how wealthy he really was.

And think about it: we are all extremely wealthy! We can make a whole room light with the flick of a small switch. We can heat food within minutes in a microwave. Laundry is done by turning a dial or pressing a button. We can listen to any type of music we want to within a few seconds. We can travel far distances at high speeds. Even the poorest people have so many luxuries!

The way a person views himself depends on who he compares himself to. Many people think they are living through so much suffering, but if they think of other people’s situations, they will fill like millionaires compared to them. It all depends on what we focus on.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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