If one is asked for charity in public, is "I'm sorry but I don't want to embarrass you" or even to say "Don't embarrass yourself this way" a good enough reason not to give?!
Or does the Gem 'Zeh Hanosen Tzedakah Leoni Befarhesyia' need qualification?
Kol Tuv
alex lebovits, toronto, canada
If the person asking for the charity is not embarrassed, I do not see how one could use this as an excuse. The Gemara is talking about a situation where the benefactor initiates the process, and hence there is the possibility that the poor person will become embarrassed, but where he is obviously not embarrassed there is no reason not to give. Furthermore, even if the poor person is embarrassed, but has decided that his predicament necessitates enduring the humiliation involved, then one is obligated to give. Here also we cannot apply the rule of our Gemara. Our Gemara is only applicable in a situation where the poor person may prefer to avoid his embarrassment, not when he wishes to receive the charity available despite the public nature of the circumstances.
Dov Freedman
Rabbi Freedman,
my chavrusa showed me a Mishnah in Bava Kama 90 b that seems to indicate, that even if one forgoes his own honor; still others shechovlu bo are chayavim for humiliating him..
So why is one allowed to give him Tzedakah in public?
Kol Tuv
Alex Lebovits
The Rambam in Hilchos Chovel u'Mazik (5:11) explains that the Mazik is Chayav to pay even in a case where the Nizak gave permission to the Mazik to injure him, because it is known that a person does not want to incur injury to himself. In our case, I would say that it is clear to us that the poor person is prepared to undergo the embarassment in order to receive the money he requires.
Furthermore, I would add that the poor person has already embarrassed himself by asking for money, and refusing to give to him will not save him from embarrassment, rather it will aggravate it.
Dov Freedman