This reminds me of my favorite phrase in Shas - "Hafuchei Metrasa Lama lei?",<br>i.e, "What is the point of switching things back and forth? [That would be pointless!]" Maybe someone<br>can bar-ilan it and see if this is ever used regarding tzedaka in shas/poskim?
<br> Mike Wiesenberg<br><br>On 4/15/07, saul mashbaum <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:smash52@netvision.net.il">smash52@netvision.net.il
</a>> wrote:<br>><br>><br>> Consider the following scenario: a poor person, let's call him<br>> Moishie gives his friend, Shloimie, also a poor person, $100 as tzedaka<br>> (even though Moishie owes many times that amount). Shloimie promply gives
<br>> the $100 to Moishie as tzedaka. The friends continue to give the $100 to one<br>> another, doing this dozens of times. Ultimately Moishie sees that Shloimie<br>> will not keep the $100, although he wants him to, and puts it in back his
<br>> wallet. Now Moishie and Shloimie are each exactly as impoverished as before,<br>> but each has the tremendous zchut of having given thousands of dollars to<br>> tzedaka!<br>><br>> I doubt that this really "works" in the heavenly beit din, but not being
<br>> privy to the proceedings of this most Supreme Court of all, I can't really<br>> be sure.<br>><br>> Saul Mashbaum<br>>