לזכות ידי"נ הרב הגאון המופלא ר' שלמה איינהורן שליט"א וכל ב"ב לברכה והצלחה בכל מעשי ידיהם
Says the Gemara [Bava Basra 8b]:
מאי שררותא דאמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה לפי שממשכנין על הצדקה ואפילו בערב שבת איני והא כתיב (ירמיהו ל, כ) ופקדתי על כל לוחציו ואמר ר' יצחק בר שמואל בר מרתא משמיה דרב ואפילו על גבאי צדקה
The Gemara asks: What authority is associated with collecting tzdaka? The Gemara answers: As Rav Nachman says that Rabba bar Avuha says: Because they can seize collateral for the tzdaka; i.e., they can collect charity by force, and even on Erev Shabbos, when people are busy and might claim that they have no time or money. The Gemara objects: Is that so? But isn’t it written: “I will punish all that oppress them” (Yirmiyahu 30:20), and Rabbi Yitzchak bar Shmuel bar Marta says in the name of Rav: And punishment will be meted out even to tzdaka collectors? If tzdaka collectors are permitted to force people to contribute charity, why are they counted among Israel’s oppressors?
לא קשיא הא דאמיד הא דלא אמיד כי הא דרבא אכפיה לרב נתן בר אמי ושקיל מיניה ארבע מאה זוזי לצדקה
The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. This, Rabbi Nachman’s statement, applies when the contributor is rich, in which case the collectors may seize money from him even by force. That, Rabbi Yitzchak’s statement, applies when he is not rich, in which case the collectors who take money from him by force are termed oppressors of Israel. This right to force contributions from the rich is like what occurred in the incident in which Rava compelled Rav Nosson bar Ami and took four hundred dinars from him for charity.
[BTW - I can see Boiney Sanduhs and his chevre being TOTALLY into this Gemara. May he do תשובה שלימה בקרוב ממש!!]
Let us move from Babylon [where you might want to get off and switch trains] and go to France and hear what the Tosafists say:
Let us move from Babylon [where you might want to get off and switch trains] and go to France and hear what the Tosafists say:
וא"ת והא בפרק כל הבשר (חולין דף קי: ושם ד"ה כל) אמר כל מ"ע שמתן שכרה [כתובה] בצדה אין ב"ד של מטה מוזהרים עליה
Question: In Chullin (110b), it says that any Mitzvas Aseh for which the reward is written next to it (in the Torah), Beis Din below is not warned [to force people to fulfill it];
וגבי צדקה כתיב כי פתוח תפתח את ידך לו וכתיב כי בגלל הדבר הזה יברכך (דברים טו)
Regarding Tzedakah, it says "Ki Paso'ach Tiftach Es Yadecha" - open your hand, and "Ki Biglal ha'Davar ha'Zeh Yevarechecha" - because of this Hashem will bless you!
ולר"י נראה דבצדקה כופין משום דאית בה לאו דכתיב בה לא תאמץ את לבבך ולא תקפוץ וגו'
(d) Answer #3 (Ri): We may force for Tzedakah, since there is also a לאו (against not giving) "Lo Se'ametz Es Levavcha v'Lo Sikpotz..." - you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not close your hand from your needy brother.
The משנה למלך [Avadim 3-14] and the קצות [Simman 97-9] asked from the words of Tosfos on what the Ramban wrote in a Teshuva [cited in the Rema Choshen Mishpat 16] that the mitzva of השבת העבוט [returning a security] is a mitzva that the reward is written next to it [מתן שכרה כתוב בצדה] and thus the Beis Din doesn't get involved [he does hold however that Beis Din has the RIGHT to coerce if they so choose]. But השבת העבוט also has a לאו as it says "לא תשכב בעבוטו". If so, why don't we coerce one to return the security just like we do for tzdaka where we coerce even though מתן שכרה כתוב בצדה because a לאו is involved there as well. The Ramban HIMSELF is among those poskim who say that we coerce one to give tzdaka because it involves a לאו [as we see in the בית יוסף יו"ד רמ"ח]. If so - we should similarly coerce one to return the security because of the לאו?!! So why does he hold that the Beis Din doesn't get involved and coerce one to return an עבוט?!!
