Jews as Servants or Sons of God

It was taught, R. Meir used to say: A litigant might respond to you and say, “If your God loves the poor, why does God not sustain them?” [If so,] say to [the litigant], “In order that we might be saved from the judgment of Gehenna [the underworld] through [our giving charity to] them.”

This is the question that Turnus Rufus the Wicked¹ asked R. Akiva: “If your God loves the poor, why does He not sustain them?” [R. Akiva] said to him, “In order that we might be saved from the judgment of Gehenna through [our giving charity to] them.” [Turnus Rufus] said to him, “On the contrary! It is [doing] this that makes you liable for Gehenna! A parable: To what is the matter similar? To a king of flesh and blood who became angry with his servant and imprisoned him and commanded that no one feed him or give him [anything] to drink. But one man went and fed him and gave him to drink. When the king heard, was he not angry [at the man]? And you [Jews] are called ‘servants,’ as it says: Because the children of Israel are servants to Me (Leviticus 25:55).”

R. Akiva said to him [Turnus Rufus], “A parable: To what is the matter similar? To a king of flesh and blood who became angry with his son and imprisoned him and commanded concerning him that no one feed him or give him [anything] to drink. But one man went and fed him and gave him to drink. When the king heard, would he not give gifts to the man [who sustained the king’s son]? And we are called ‘children,’ as it is written: You are children to the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 14:1).”

He [Turnus Rufus] said to him, “You are called ‘children’ and you are called ‘servants.’ When you are carrying out the will of the Omnipresent, you are called ‘children,’ and when you are not carrying out the will of the Omnipresent, you are called ‘servants.’ Now, you are not carrying out the will of the Omnipresent!” He [Akiva] said to him, “Does it [Scripture] not say: Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house (Isaiah 58:7)? When should one bring the poor cast out into the house? Now! And [the verse] says: Share your bread with the hungry!”

R. Judah ben R. Shalom explicated, “Just as a person’s provisions [for the year] are determined upon the New Year, so too his privations are set for him upon the New Year. If he merits, then [the following words will apply to him:] Share your bread with the hungry. If he does not merit, then [the following words apply to him:] The poor that are cast out of your house.”