Q&A: As He Is There
As He Is There
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Anonymous pretended to be needy and received several thousand shekels from a charity organization. They discovered that he was a liar and demanded that he return the money, but to no avail. Enforcement through the Execution Office is not relevant. After a few months, his financial situation truly deteriorated and he became genuinely quite needy.
Should the organization now settle accounts with him and refrain from giving him money, or reduce its donation to him, or is it that as he is there now he is needy, and the fact that he deceived someone in the past is not relevant?
Answer
In principle, he owes the money. But eligibility for charity stems from one's financial situation and is not a reward for good behavior. If he is in a state of need, then he should be given support, and when he becomes financially stable he can be sued to repay it. Even so, if there is not enough money in the fund for all the poor, in my opinion there is room to place him at the end of the list.