Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, rov of Bnei Brak’s Ohr Elchonon neighborhood, said that its recent ranking as the poorest suburb in the country was based on an error, and even if true, was no cause for embarrassment.
Since assessment of people’s wealth is based on tax payments, the neighborhood’s many yungerleit who do not pay tax on their stipends fall between the cracks, he said. He also noted that appeals for tzedokah get a more generous response in Ohr Elchonon than is supposedly wealthier areas.
Poverty is nothing to be ashamed of, he added, citing Chazal’s exhortation, “Be careful with the sons of the poor, for from them Torah will emerge.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
