The Charity Collector Who Took Responsibility With His Whole Heart

R' David Leib Schwartz was known far and wide as a kind and giving man. He was a legendary charity collector who went from place to place collecting money from generous Jews to help the poor. But his kindness didn’t stop there. Over time, another kind of mitzvah also became part of his life. He began signing as a guarantor for loans so that people who had no one to vouch for them could still borrow money.

Lenders, whether wealthy individuals or gemachs (free loan funds), trusted R' David Leib completely. They saw his signature on a loan guarantee as strong as gold. They knew the money would be paid back. And if the borrower didn’t pay? They were sure R' David Leib would cover it himself, either from charity funds or by raising the money some other way.

But R' David Leib never saw charity money as his backup plan. That money was for the poor, and he guarded it carefully. Still, he saw every loan guarantee as another precious chance to help someone in need. He never wanted to turn away someone just because no one else would sign for them.

He signed many guarantees, but some people didn’t repay. There were those who truly fell into hardship and couldn’t pay back. But others simply disappeared and left the responsibility on R' David Leib's shoulders. Each time that happened, he didn’t hesitate. He paid the lender right away. Then, he would go and try to get the money back from the original borrower.

What worried him most was that someone might try to cover a loan using charity funds. That money wasn’t for paying back loans. It was meant for helping people survive. He refused to mix the two, even when it was hard. If needed, he would press borrowers to pay their debts, not because he was angry, but because he needed to keep helping others. If people thought guarantees had no consequences, he wouldn’t be able to sign anymore. He fought those battles so he could keep saying yes to the next person who needed him.

One night, while going from home to home asking people to repay what they owed, he skipped one house. A lender walking with him asked, “Why are you skipping this one? Are you afraid?”

R' David Leib answered quietly, “She has a good lawyer. She’s a widow. Hashem…”

Still, he didn’t avoid his full responsibility. He paid the debt himself, and only after that did he go to the borrower to ask for repayment.

A Torah scholar from Bnei Brak who runs a large gemach once shared a powerful story. He said, “R' David Leib earned my complete trust with what happened next. I told him about a borrower who hadn’t paid back a loan. I mentioned that he had signed as the guarantor. He asked me how much was owed, took out a pen, wrote it down on a small piece of paper, and slipped it inside the lining of his hat. He kept important papers there, since his pockets were stuffed full of coins and bills from his charity work.”

A few days later, R' David Leib showed up at the man’s door with the full amount in hand. The man thanked him and said, “You saved me a lot of trouble. Well done!”

But R' David Leib looked shaken. His smile disappeared and he became serious. “I deserve thanks?” he asked. “Should I be told ‘well done’? If I hadn’t done this, I would have been a thief and a robber. I signed the guarantee. I had no excuse.”

He went on to explain, “The borrower hoped that by the time he needed to repay, he would have the money. It didn’t work out. But I signed without being forced. I wasn’t desperate. I knew people were counting on me. If I didn’t repay as promised, I would be worse than the borrower.”

The gemach owner said he already knew that a guarantor is responsible just like a borrower. But what moved him deeply was the way R' David Leib spoke. You could hear the fear of Heaven in every word. He spoke with such honesty, such trembling, such sincerity. In that moment, he became someone he trusted with all his heart.