Almon Alms
THE JEWISH EN'CYCLOPEDIA
435
sixteenth century. He wus the author of a commentary on some of tiie minor propliets. published among the rare commentaries, in Moses Frankfurter's large Bible. Amsterdam, 1724-27 also of a rommentary on the Pentateuch, with particular regard to Hashi's conimentar_v.
Stcinschnplder, Cat. liadl. cols. 841, 144."i. 1770Idem, llehr. U< hers. jt. 134 Filrst. Dilil. Ju,l. I. 41) liilA. Efp.-Port. Juil. pp. II), 11 Cunmily. Lu FttmiUc Almiisnino (reprinteti from lyi'nivtrs l)trhf'1iti 1H.VI), In Lileralurlilatt i/rx (trii-ntx. xil. 61!) Sanrhez. I'nmrt/i Caxti'Uanas Anteritircj* al «ifl/o. xv. pp. 18.) (t «<//. Jnr. (iuarl. Itcv. xl. 13B; (Jratz, In Munatio'chrifl. .lll. £] cl »ci/.
Bini.iOfiRAPiiY 177:). il(l4
KiiyserllnB,
F.
Solomon Almosnino
DB
M.
S.
Secretary to the Bevis Marks Syna,gogue(Scplianlic). in London, England; born Sept. 5, 1*92; died in London. 1S7S. lie was descended fnini an ancient Spanish family, his grandfather, who was chief rabbi of Gibraltar, having migrated to England in lie middle of the eight inth century. In the yrar 1.S14 Almosnino Nvas appointed clerk to he secretary of the
-
t
I
I
Marks Synaand on the
liivis i;ogue,
death
of
the
tiiry.
in
1821.
secre-
was
ilected his succcs.sor. He practically managed the alTaiis of the
Solomon Almosnino.
congregation: and its entire funds passed throtigh his hands. He was concerned in all
the historical events of his community for half a century. Being entirely bound up in his work, all his hopes, fears, and aspirations were concentrated in the mtthniiiiid rimm (vestry room) at Bevis Marks. His modest and unassuming kindness won for liim the respect and friendship of all sections of the
community. Bini.iiKMnpiiY
Jew. Chron. and Jew. World, January, ISTS. G. L.
ALMS
A word derived from the fireek i/ir/iiiiniri/ (mercifulness), used by Greek siieaking .lews to denote almost exclusively the ottering of charity to the needy, from a feeling of both compassion and righteousness iuilnkitli). (See LXX. on Prov. x.i. The word "idnisgiving," how21, and Dan. iv. 2-4, ever, is far from expressing the full meaning of the Hebrew /.iilakah, which is, charily in lhes)iiiil of up.Veeording to llii' >Ios:iie conrightness or jiisliee. ception, wciillh is a loan from (fod, and th<' poor have a certain claim on the possessions of the rich; while the rich are positively enjoined to share God's lioun ties with till' poor, A systematic mode of ri'lief of the nee<ly was. theri'fore. provided by the law and by till' institutions of the synagogue Isec t'li.MiiTY). But all these provisions coidd not eiilirely remove want. "The jHior shiill neverceascMiul of the lanil." says the lawgiver, and commiuids: "Thou shall open thine liiuiil wide uiilo thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy nc>eily, in thy lan<l " (l)eut. xv. II). In the course of time the giving of Alms out of mere pity and without regard to Ihi' permanent relief of the reeipieni, became a meritorious practisi>, pos,sessing, like saeritice, the power of atoning for man's sins, anil redeeming him from calamity and death. )
The
vers<'
Prov.
xi.
-I
(compare
.xvi.
(1,
xxi, W)
was
in this sense: "Water will quench blaso doth almsgiving make atonement for sins." "Lay up alms in thy store-house; it shall deliver thee from all affliction" (Ecclus. iii. 30, xxix. 12). Accordingly, King Xebuchadnezzar is told by
expounded zing
tire;
"Break
Daniel:
dakah
thy sins by righteousness fze-
off
— almsgiving] and thine inic|uities by showing
to the poor" (Dan, iv. 27), and both Daniel and the king become modConception, els of charity (Midr, Zutta, Cant.., ed. Buber, p, 21)". (See Ai.tak.) TlV entire stoiv of Tobil is a les.son on almsgiving and its redeeming powerslTobit, i. ;}, K!; ii. 14; iv. 7-11 xii. " .Mnis deliver from death and purge away 8, 9). all sin " (compare Prov. xi. 4): whence the custom of giving Alms at funerals (see Zki)ai>aii Box). " Kvery one who occupies himself with charity shall behold the face of God," as it is written (Ps. xvii. 1.5, Ilth.): " I behold Thy face bj' almsgiving" (zedek; see Midr, Teh. I.e., B. IB. 10'(). Almsgiving, prayer,
mercy
Talmudic
and fasting constituled the three cardinal disciplines which Ihe synagogue transn)itt<'d to both the C'liristian church and Ihe .Mohammedan mosipie(see Tobit, xii, 8; and compare Matt. vi. 1-18; and the Koran, where almsgiving, called Zfdnt (.ramaic zakiitn), or iiridakii (zedakah), is always mentioned in connection with prayer (sura
Manda-ans,
ii,
40, 104; ix, 54).
made almsgiving
The
and fasting the means of obtaining eternal life and bliss (see Brand, " Mand;iisehe Sebriften," pp. 2H et .<eif.). Actoo,
(zii/kn)
cording to Kab .ssi of the thiril centui'y, "almsgiving is eiiual in value to all other commandments" (B. B. !)/( ((impale Luke, xv); " It saves man from sudden, uniialuial death and the soul from doom" (K. .lohanan. B. B. 10(/, after Prov. x, 2): "Almsgiving is more than any saeritice, though personal charity is superior even to almsgiving" (R.Eleazar, Suk. 49A). H. Eleazar slates also that it should precede prayer, taking Ps. xvii. l.">als() lo mean, " After almsgiving I shall behold Thy face," B.B. 10('. Likewise each fastday was virtually an occasion for almsgiving, as the day's offerings were handed over to the poor (Ber. 6i), Compare .Midr. Zutta, Cant., ed. Buber. p. 21: "The Israelites fast and give their food and that ,
—
of their children to the poor" (juoted by Ori.sen, " Homilies to Leviticus," x. (see also .rislides, xv. 9). " .Vlmsgiving is a powerful jiaracletc (mediator) between the Israelites and their Father in heaven; it brings the time of redemption nigh " (B. B. lOc). In allusion to the various Biblical pas-
The Gift of King
.sjiges
Monobazos.
concerning zedek and zedakah
— righteousness in the giving — Tosef Peah, ,
sense of alms20 (also B. B.
iv,
narrates a sloiy of King MonobaIlclciia of .(liabene. who lived aboul he year is. lie is in the legend probably confounded with hisson Izates,w ho, aflerhis father's in dcalh, became a convert to .ludaism. and sent addition to Ihe rich gifts of his mother large sums lo .lerusjilem for (he relief of the poor (.losephns, "When the generous gifts he ". t." XX. 2. g 5). had bestowed upon the poor, in the time of great famine, provoked Ihe protests of his brothers, who reproached him for having thus s(|uandered what his royal ancestors had gathered together, he replied; 12(/)
zos, the
husband of (ineen I
—
—
"Mv
ancestors laid
lip tiere
on
enrtli
I
In ticiivcn IPs. Ixx.w.
12)
up ln'B.iiin>s wlicn^ tlM> liiiinnn tiaiid can where no huiniin hand can reach them IPs.
>lv nnci'stors laid
reach
thciii
l.xx.xl.x.
My
I,
l.'ii
iinceKtors
tiild
iHiir fnili il!«.
up ill.
In*aKiin'!( thai tM-ar
no
fnill
I.
such as
Ill)
.Mv ancestors laid up Ireasuivs of souls il»niv. XI. an)
Maiuuiou
1,
Irvatiun-S of
