Let's take a deeper look at what happened here. Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi wishes to act "beyond the letter of the law" since he could have ignored the poor person as it did not befit his honor to help him. However, once he agrees to help the pauper, he should act in accordance with the pauper's wishes. Offering the pauper money and then abandoning the wood defeats the goal of the pauper, who was obviously tired from the exertion of carrying the wood and needed help to get it home and not financial support. In a sense, Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi's elaborate ruse gained him nothing in the eyes of the pauper, for whom the wood is important and who would not abandon it for any money after the effort he had invested in it.

In Avos d'Rebbi Nasan (chapter 6), Rebbi Akiva praises wood for its multiple uses. "Many uses I derive from it: I learn [Torah] by using it [as fuel for light], I am warmed by it, and it enables me to sleep."

Rebbi Yishmael, however, does not understand the poor man's need and feels deceived by his attempt to regain ownership of the wood. He therefore performs his own deception to ensure that the poor person will not regain control over the wood and demand more help.

The story reminds us of another similar story involving Nachum of Gimzu (Ta'anis 21a) who was accosted by a poor person asking for food as he was carrying three donkeys filled with foodstuffs for his own family. Nachum asked the pauper to wait until he had unloaded the donkeys but in the meantime the poor person dropped dead, and Nachum of Gimzu took upon himself terrible retribution for not being more careful to save the poor man's life. In that case, too, Nachum intended to help the pauper but did not realize the actual needs of the pauper.

Chazal intend to teach us through these stories that true charity is not necessarily achieved by throwing money at paupers but rather by understanding their true needs and catering to them.

Yoel Domb