3,205. A Traveler Who Runs Out of Cash

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 9:14

If a needy person owns a courtyard and furniture, we don’t require him to sell his house and his property in order to receive charity. This is true even if he owns utensils of silver and gold. Not only is he permitted to accept charity, it’s a mitzvah to give it to him. This is the case when he owns utensils for eating and drinking, clothes, bedding, etc., but if he owns things like a golden comb or pestle, then he should sell them and buy more moderately priced items. We don’t require a person to sell his possessions before he reaches the point where he must accept charity from the community; once he reaches that point, he must sell his utensils and buy cheaper ones, after which he can accept charity.

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 9:15

If a homeowner (i.e., a person who is financially stable) is traveling from city to city and he uses up all his cash so that he doesn’t have food to eat, he is permitted to take leket, shich’cha, peah, maaser ani and tzedakah. When he gets home (where he has money), he need not repay because he was needy at the time. This is comparable to a needy person who later became wealthy: he need not repay charity that he previously received.