QUESTION:
Today there is a phenomenon in which people are seeing yeshuos (salvations) just from giving tzedakah (charity). On one hand, we can see from this how tzedakah saves from death, and this is like seeing the he’aras panim of Hashem, but on the other hand it is hester panim, because it gives the impression that people don’t need to do teshuvah or improve their ways, and that they can just ‘get away with it’ by giving tzedakah. What is the right attitude about this?
ANSWER:
There is a principle taught by the sefer Toldos Yaakov Yosef (a student of the Baal Shem Tov) that everything is in the secret of the parah adumah: It contaminates the pure, and purifies the impure. It is the same with this. For those on a higher level of emunah, seeing yeshuos from giving tzedakah is actually hester panim for them, but for those who are on a lower level of emunah, seeing miracles and salvations from giving tzedakah is a form of he’aras panim for them. Chazal said that “The Jewish people will not be redeemed except in the merit of charity.”
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