Ketubot

applied for a marriage grant  the girl orphan is to be enabled to marry first and the boy orphan is married afterwards, because the shame of a woman is greater than that of a man. Our Rabbis taught: If an orphan applied for assistance to marry,  a house must be rented for him, a bed must be prepared for him and [he must also be supplied with] all [household] objects [required for] his use, and then he is given a wife in marriage, for it is said in Scriptures, Sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth:  'sufficient for his need', refers to the house; 'in that which wanteth', refers to a bed and a table; 'he'  refers to a wife, for so it is said in Scripture, I will make him  a help meet unto him. Our Rabbis taught: 'Sufficient for his need' [implies] you are commanded to maintain him, but you are not commanded to make him rich; 'in that which he wanteth' [includes] even a horse to ride upon and a slave to run before him. It was related about Hillel the Elder that he bought  for a certain poor man who was of a good family a horse to ride upon and a slave to run before him. On one occasion he could not find a slave to run before him, so he himself ran before him for three miles. Our Rabbis taught: It once happened that the people of Upper Galilee bought for a poor member of a good family of Sepphoris  a pound of meat every day.  'A pound of meat'! What is the greatness in this? — R. Huna replied: [It was] a pound of fowl's meat.  And if you prefer I might say: [They purchased] ordinary meat for a pound  [of money].  R. Ashi replied: The place was  a small village  and everyday a beast had to be spoiled for his sake. A certain man once applied to  R. Nehemiah [for maintenance]. 'What do your meals consist of', [the Rabbi] asked him. 'Of fat meat and old wine', the other replied — 'Will you consent [the Rabbi asked him] to live  with me on lentils?' [The other consented,] lived with him on lentils and died. 'Alas', [the Rabbi] said, 'for this man whom Nehemiah has killed.' On the contrary, he should [have said] 'Alas for Nehemiah who killed this man'! — [The fact], however, [is that the man himself was to blame, for] he should not have cultivated his luxurious habits to such an extent. A man once applied to  Raba [for maintenance]. 'What do your meals consist of?' he asked him. 'Of fat chicken and old wine', the other replied. 'Did you not consider', [the Rabbi] asked him, 'the burden of the community?' 'Do I', the other replied, 'eat of theirs? I eat [the food] of the All-Merciful; for we learned: The eyes of all wait for Thee, and Thou givest them their food in due season,  this, since it is not said, 'in their season' but 'in his  season', teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, provides for every individual his food In accordance with his own habits'.  Meanwhile there arrived Raba's sister, who had not seen him for thirteen years, and brought him a fat chicken and old wine. 'What a remarkable incident!'  [Raba]  exclaimed; [and then] he said to him, 'I apologize  to you, come and eat'. Our Rabbis taught: If a man has no means and does not wish to be maintained [out of the poor funds] he should be granted [the sum he requires] as a loan and then it can be presented to him as a gift; so R. Meir. The Sages, however, said: It is given to him as a gift and then it is granted to him as a loan. ('As a gift'? He, surely, refuses to  take [gifts]! Raba replied: It is offered to him in the first instance  as a gift.) If he has the means but does not want to maintain himself, [at his own expense],  he is given [what he needs] as a gift, and then he is made to repay it. (If 'he is made to repay it' he would, surely, not take again! — R. Papa replied: [Repayment is claimed] after his death.) R. Simeon said: If he has the means and does not want to maintain himself [at his own expense], no one need feel any concern about him. If he has no means and does not wish to be maintained [out of the poor funds] he is told, 'Bring a pledge and you will receive [a loan]' in order to raise thereby his [drooping] spirit. Our Rabbis taught: To lend  refers to a man who has no means and is unwilling to receive his maintenance [from the poor funds] to whom [the allowance] must be given as a loan and then presented to him as a gift. Thou shalt lend him  refers to a man who has the means and does not wish to maintain himself [at his own expense] to whom [the allowance] is given as a gift and repayment is claimed from his [estate] after his death, so R. Judah. The Sages, however, said: If he has the means and does not wish to maintain himself [at his own expense] no one need feel any concern about him. To what, however, is the text Thou shalt lend him  to be applied? The Torah employs ordinary phraseology. Mar 'Ukba had a poor man in his neighbourhood into whose door-socket he used to throw four zuz every day. Once  [the poor man] thought: 'I will go and see who does me this kindness'. On that day [it happened] that Mar 'Ukba was late at  the house of study and his wife  was coming home with him. As soon as [the poor man] saw them moving the door he went out after them, but they fled from him and ran into a furnace from which the fire had just been swept. Mar 'Ukba's feet were burning and his wife said to him: Raise your feet and put them on mine. As he was upset,  she said to him, 'I am usually at home  and my benefactions are direct'.  And what [was the reason for] all that?  — Because Mar Zutra b. Tobiah said in the name of Rab (others state: R. Huna  b. Bizna said in the name of R. Simeon the Pious; and others again state: R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai): Better had a man thrown himself into a fiery furnace than publicly put his neighbour to shame. Whence do we derive this? From [the action of] Tamar; for it is written in Scripture, When she was brought forth,  [she sent to her father-in-law]. Mar 'Ukba had a poor man in his neighbourhood to whom he regularly sent four hundred zuz on the Eve of every Day of Atonement. On one occasion  he sent them through his son who came back and said to him, 'He does not need [your help]'. 'What have you seen?' [his father] asked. 'I saw [the son replied] that they were spraying old wine before him'.  'Is he so delicate?' [the father] said, and, doubling the amount, he sent it back to him. When he  was about to die  he requested, 'Bring me my charity accounts'. Finding that seven thousand of Sijan  [gold] denarii were entered therein he exclaimed, 'The provisions are scanty and the road is long', and he forthwith  distributed half of his wealth. But how could he do such a thing?  Has not R. Elai stated: It was ordained at Usha that if a man wishes to spend liberally he should not spend more than a filth?  — This applies only during a man's lifetime, since he might thereby be impoverished  but after death  this does not matter. R. Abba used to bind money in his scarf,  sling it on his back, and place himself at the disposal of the poor.  He cast his eye, however, sideways [as a precaution] against rogues. R. Hanina had a poor man to whom he regularly sent four zuz on the Eve of every Sabbath. One day he sent that sum through his wile who came back and told him [that the man was in] no need of it. 'What [R. Hanina asked her] did you see?' [She replied:] I heard that he was asked, 'On what will you dine;