The sanhedrin ask dovid for help feeding the poor. Dovid first suggests taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. The rabbis respond a handful does not feed a lion and a hole does not fill itself(meaning israel cannot sustain itself). Isnt that against a passuk in devarim 8:9 which says Israel can sustain itself?
joseoh, woodmere, ny
To be sure, Eretz Yisrael is able to sustain itself. But like all Berachos, that only applies when Yisrael are worthy; see, for example, the Berachos and Kelalos in Bechukosai. Without specifying why Yisrael were not worthy in the time of David ha'Melech, the very fact that there were so many poor people is, in itself, a proof that they were not, as Rashi points out in Devarim 15:4.
As a matter of fact, David ha'Melech himself lost the merit of building the Beis ha'Mikdash because he refused to submit to the ongoing request of the Sanhedrin to open the treasury that contained funds for the Beis ha'Mikdash to provide for the poor. But that will of course not explain why the land did not provide for the poor.
Wishing you and your family a Kesivah v'Chasimah Tovah.
Regards,
Eliezer Chrysler