Support Needy Families

When a Family Has Nothing Left

Sometimes you read a story about a family that cannot pay rent, that has no food for Shabbos, that sends children to school without a warm coat. And it sits with you. You want to do something. You feel it in your chest, that pull to help, and you are not sure where to begin.

That feeling is not random. The Torah put it there. In Sefer Devarim, Moshe Rabbeinu speaks directly to Klal Yisrael before they enter Eretz Yisrael and gives them a commandment that is as real today as it was then: if there is a poor person among you, do not harden your heart and do not close your hand. Open it. Give what they need.

These two pesukim from Devarim 15:7-8 are the Torah’s clearest words on what it means to help poor families in Israel. They are not just a mitzvah. They are a tefillah in action. Every time you give, you are answering Hashem’s call and standing with families in Eretz Yisrael who need you right now.

Before You Say This Tefillah

Before you read these pesukim, take a quiet moment. Think about the families you are hoping to help. You may not know their names. You may never meet them. But Hashem knows every one of them, and He brought you to this moment for a reason. Speak to Him simply:

Ribono Shel Olam, You see every family that is struggling. You know the parents who lie awake at night worrying how they will feed their children. I want to help. Please let my tzedakah reach the families who need it most, and let it bring real relief to their lives. Open my heart the way You opened the hearts of our ancestors. In the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, please accept this act of chesed and let it rise before You as a tefillah. Eloka d’Meir aneni.

If giving tzedakah, add:

In the zechus of the tzedakah I am giving through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities, please bring comfort and parnassah to needy families in Eretz Yisrael. Just as I am opening my hand to them, please open the gates of blessing for my family as well.

Devarim 15:7-8: The Full Text

These pesukim come at a turning point in Sefer Devarim. Moshe is preparing Klal Yisrael for life in Eretz Yisrael. He has spoken about shemittah, about releasing debts, about trusting Hashem with parnassah. And then he turns to the heart of the matter: when you see someone in need, what will you do? The Torah does not leave it open. It tells you clearly: open your hand.

What These Words Mean for You

Lo s’ametz es l’vovcho “Do not harden your heart”

The Hebrew root א-מ-ץ means to be strong or firm. Here the Torah uses it as a warning. Do not make your heart firm against someone in pain. The natural response when we hear about suffering is to feel it. Sometimes we push that feeling away because it is uncomfortable, because we are busy, because we tell ourselves someone else will help. The Torah says: do not do that. Stay soft. Let the need reach you. That open heart is the beginning of every act of chesed.

V’loi sikpotz es yodcho “Do not shut your hand”

The root ק-פ-ץ means to close, to clench shut. The Torah speaks about the heart first and the hand second because one leads to the other. When we harden our hearts, our hands close by themselves. But the reverse is also true. When we open our hand, even before we feel ready, it softens the heart. Sometimes the act of giving is what makes us into givers. The Torah knows this about us. It commands the hand to open because the heart will follow.

Ki fosoiach tiftach es yodcho “You must surely open your hand”

The double language here, fosoiach tiftach, is deliberate. The Sifrei (Devarim 116), cited by Rashi on this pasuk, teaches that doubled expressions in the Torah come to include something extra. Open your hand once, and open it again. Help the same family a second time if they need it. Do not grow weary of giving. As the Sifrei puts it: if you opened your hand once, open it even a hundred times. Rashi on this pasuk paraphrases the same idea: ‘afilu kamah pe’amim’ — even many times, if the need is there, give. This is what it means to support families who are struggling. Not once and forget. Again and again, as long as families are in need.

Dei machsoroi asher yechsar loi “Enough for whatever he lacks”

The Gemara in Ketubot 67b explains that this is measured according to the individual person, not according to a flat standard chosen by the giver. If a formerly wealthy person genuinely needs the kind of support that preserves his normal dignity and functioning, the obligation can extend even that far. At the same time, the Gemara adds an important limit: you are commanded to supply what he lacks, but you are not commanded to make him wealthy.

That balance is then codified in halachah. Rambam writes that if a person lacks clothing, you clothe him; if he lacks household items, you provide them; and the mitzvah is to fill the real deficiency. Shulchan Aruch rules the same way: food for hunger, clothing for lack of clothing, utensils for the home, each case according to what that person actually needs.

So the deeper point is this: tzedakah is about restoring a person to stability, dignity, and normal life as defined by his real situation. For one family, that means groceries. For another, rent. For another, basic furniture, medical needs, tuition help, or other support without which the home cannot function properly. The giver does not decide based on what feels generous or convenient; the mitzvah is to respond to the actual gap.

How to Say This Tefillah

These pesukim are not from a formal tefillah in the siddur, so there is no fixed time or posture for saying them. If you are about to make a donation to support needy families, pause and read these two pesukim first. Let the words remind you why you are giving. Not out of guilt. Not out of obligation alone. Because the Torah says this is who a Yid is. Someone whose heart stays open and whose hand follows.

When you combine tefillah and tzedakah together, something changes. Generations of Yidden have given in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness when they needed Hashem to hear their prayers. It is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the merit of this great tzaddik, and in the merit of your own act of giving. After reading the pesukim, you may say: Elokah d’Meir aneni!

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells us about Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. His sister-in-law was held captive by the Romans in a terrible place. There seemed to be no way out. Through the words “Elokah d’Meir aneni” that asked Hashem for salvation in the merit of Rabbi Meir,  she was freed. For generations, Jews have turned to these words for salvation in the zechus for Rabbi Meir, asking Hashem for the yeshuos they need.

Families in Eretz Yisrael who cannot put food on the table are trapped in their own way. The walls are different, but the desperation is the same. When you give tzedakah in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, you are asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this tzaddik and your own chesed. You are reaching across the ocean to open a door for a family that feels stuck.

Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. The charity supports Torah scholars and the poor in hundreds of communities across Eretz Yisrael, providing direct assistance to families who need food, clothing, and basic necessities. When your tzedakah reaches these families, your giving becomes part of a chain that stretches back over two centuries.

Torah scholars daven by name at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias for those who turn to them. Submit a kvittel for free, or donate to increase your merit.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

Frequently Asked Questions About Support Needy Families

A Blessing for Your Generosity

When families in Eretz Yisrael weigh on your heart, that itself is something meaningful. Hashem sees a heart that does not turn away.

May the tzedakah you give reach exactly the family that needs it most. May it put food on a table that was empty, warmth in a home that was cold, and hope in a heart that had almost given up. And may Hashem, who watches over every act of chesed, open His hand to you and your family the way you have opened yours. May you never know want. May you always have enough to give. And may the families you help today stand on their own feet tomorrow, b’ezras Hashem, because someone across the world cared enough not to close their hand.

You can submit a prayer request to the scholars who will daven at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for the families you care about by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness