The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark: they shall not be removed from it. (Shemos 25:15)

I recently paid a shiva call to the family of a man who merited to live to over 90 years of age! Through his last 10 years of life he had an attendant, one of his grandchildren, of whom everyone said that their chemistry was unbelievable. During the shiva period the grandchild said that he needed to find a new purpose in life. Though he was gainfully employed in other areas, this special mitzvah had given him an unbelievable feeling of fulfillment.

This reminded me of a story I once heard about a philanthropist who was not well known. His private hobby was to search out for orphans who were the sons of Torah scholars and discretely – via a third party – support them, help marry them off, and then support them in their kollel life. Somebody once asked him, “Aren’t you disappointed that you just keep giving and giving, and never receive any recognition?” He answered, “I would like to invite you to join me this Shabbos afternoon.” The philanthropist took him for a walk around the neighborhood and showed him different families, serene and settled, living a Jewish life. He pointed to them and said, “These are my nachas! These families do not know who I am, but I know who they are, and I derive a tremendous amount of pleasure watching from afar as their families grow and thrive, knowing that I helped facilitate it.

The verse in Koheles (7:12) tells us, “In the shadow of wisdom is the shadow of silver.” Chazal tell us this means that there are always going to be the “Yissachars” and the “Zevulluns”. These partnerships are not borne out of the need of Yissachar to be supported, but rather many times this is what gives Zevullun the ability to make money.  There are stories told in Chazal throughout the generations about people who, when they stopped supporting Torah, they either lost their wealth or died. I am not saying, chas v’sholom, that it has to be so, but we must recognize that that possibility always exists.

I heard once that the Gaavad of Jerusalem, Rav Yitzchak Tuvia Weiss Shlit”a, said at a siyum of a kollel supported by a wealthy individual the following idea: There are those who support Torah and there are those who understand that Torah supports them. For those who understand that supporting Torah is their own merit, the verse says, “eitz chayim hi l’machaqzikin ba” – it is the tree of life for those who hold on to it. He used a parable to explain this: A man fell overboard in a river with a strong current. He grabbed onto a tree and was holding on for dear life. He understood that this tree was what guaranteed his salvation. This is the higher level of understanding what supporting Torah means.

There are others who support Torah and are proud. To this the verse says, “V’tomcheha meushar” – those who support it will feel fulfilled. However, if you think that that it is due to your support and because of you the Torah exists, you will not even taste the “tree of life” – you will only be fulfilled that you did a good thing

In this week’s parsha there is a commandment to not remove the poles from the aron. This idea, as explained by the Hafla’a, is precisely what we are talking about. The poles are there to carry the aron, yet Chazal tell us that what happened was actually the opposite: The aron carried those who bore it. In other words, the aron could sustain itself on its own and yet there is a commandment to never remove the poles. This is to signify a bilateral commitment. Those who learn Torah must acknowledge and appreciate those who support it. And those who support it must acknowledge and appreciate that without their attaching themselves to the Torah, though they would be lost, the Torah would still continue to exist and flourish without them.

Throughout the 20th century, there were many communities in America which boasted a large Orthodox population. However, (in general) only those communities which maintained Torah schools continue to flourish today.

This same idea applies to giving charity as well. Hashem will make sure that those who need assistance will get it. The question is only: Who will merit to help out themselves by helping the poor?