“If he is poor and can not afford.” (Vayikra 14:20)
Someone who was afflicted with tzara’at – a spiritual disease that was exposed in the person’s skin, clothes, furniture, or walls of the home – had to bring an offering to the Temple as part of his purification process. We see in Parasha Metzora how a person who was poor had a different obligation in which type of offering he had to bring that a more wealthy individual. We see here an example of the principle that G-d asks from us only what we are capable of. This holds true of what He requires of us both materially as well as spiritually.
The whole dimension and purpose of the sacrifices is our G-d given mission to elevate the physical world by sanctifying it, therefore bringing it closer to H”S.
Everything we do in our lives that is H”S will and goes contrary to our natural tendencies, much effort has to be put into it, and it’s considered a sacrifice.
Throughout my life I have seen the way in which people give tzedakah. It has never ceased to amaze me how the poor person’s giving is so precious. The $100 or $18 dollars he gives takes so much more effort than for a wealthy person who writes a big check with no sweat.
Some excerpts taken from “Daily Wisdom” based on the teachings of the Rebbe
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