כתב ה"ר סעדיה חייב אדם להקדים פרנסתו לכל אדם ואינו חייב לתת צדקה עד שיהיה לו פרנסתו שנאמר וחי אחיך עמך חייך קודמין לחיי אחיך
Rav Saadia Gaon wrote: “A person’s own parnassah [living] takes precedence over that of anyone else, and one is not required to give tzedakah until he or she has acquired a parnassah, as it says (in Leviticus 25:36), “And your fellow will live with you,” meaning that your life takes priority over that of your fellow.
Suggested Discussion Questions:
What position does this text hold about the extent to which we should give?
If you were going to adopt that practice, how would you act on it in your life?
In our time, what do you think are the reasonable elements that constitute a parnassah, such that all people should have them and anyone who lacks them should be exempt from giving tzedakah?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)