ABSTRACT
Can sages be poor? Did the rabbis view the poor as “other”? According to this narrative in the Jerusalem Talmud, some sages and students experienced involuntary poverty. Here the Jerusalem Talmud cites a teaching where Rabbi Chanina explains that one who applies for alms after having fallen into poverty need not sell his Shabbat and festive clothing to become eligible for communal support. According to this source, the audience of rabbis and students for this sermon included members who owned only one garment and, therefore, lacked another for Shabbat. When Rabbi Simlai preaches that a specially designated garment is required on Shabbat, his listeners cry out because of their inability to practice this mitzvah. For the Jerusalem Talmud, the poor are not considered other because, at least in this instance, some rabbis and students have severely limited resources. Owning a single garment was not a choice but, rather, a distressing reality.
