3,198. The Community Chest

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 8:18

The previous halacha (about priority in charity and redeeming captives) only applies when two are equal in Torah scholarship. If a Kohein Gadol is unlearned and a mamzer is a scholar, then the scholar takes priority because one who is greater in knowledge takes priority over one who is lesser in knowledge. However, if one of them is a person’s teacher or father, he is obligated to redeem his father or teacher who is a scholar before someone else who is an even greater scholar.

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 9:1

Every city that has Jewish residents is obligated to appoint well-known, trustworthy individuals as charity administrators. Their job is to go among the people from one erev Shabbos to the next, collecting from each person a sum that is appropriate for him to give based on an assessment. They then distribute the funds from one erev Shabbos to the next, giving each recipient enough food to last seven days. This fund is called the kupah (literally, “fund”).