In ancient times, Jewish communities would require all their members to donate flour to a communal fund in the weeks before Pesah, and that flour would be distributed to the needy members of the community so they could bake Masot for Pesah. Today, this practice, which is known as "Kimha De’pis’ha," is observed in the form of donations of money to charity funds that distribute the money to needy community members before Pesah. The products that one must buy for Pesah – such as Masa, wine, and food for the holiday meals – can be very costly, and even people who are employed and receive monthly salaries may be unable to meet the high costs of the Pesah celebration. It is therefore vital for all community members to donate to the communal Kimha De’pis’ha fund after Purim, each according to his ability, so that sufficient funds can be distributed to the needy in time for them to make their purchases and properly prepare for the holiday.
It must be emphasized that this donation constitutes a Halachic requirement, and should not be approached simply as a "nice thing to do." Halacha requires anybody who has lived in a community for at least thirty days to make a donation – according to his financial means – to the Kimha De’pis’ha fund, and community leaders have the right to use coercive measures to force members to donate. Even Torah scholars, who are exempted from certain communal taxes, are required to donate toward the annual Kimha De’pis’ha campaign. If a person fails to donate, and there is a poor person who is unable to make the necessary purchases for Pesah, the person who did not donate could be held personally responsible that individual’s inability to proper celebrate the holiday. It is thus critical for everybody to participate in this charity campaign to the extent that he is able, as part of the collective responsibility to ensure that all Jews are able to properly celebrate the festive holiday of Pesah.
