Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz

and that is it might be a din in Simchas Yom Tov.

The Rambam in the sixth parak of Hilchas Yom Tov

quite famously, I believe, says in Halacha Yud Zayin and Yud Chas, the Rambam writes, that shivas yimei ha-Pesach and shmonos yimei ha-Chag imshar yomim tovim kulam, together with all the yomim tovim, a person is not allowed to do hesped and tainis, v'chayav adam liyos ben sameach v'tov lev, hu ubonav v'ishto b'nei beis, so we call it nilvim alav, that he has to be besimcha, he has to be

upbeat, he has to be happy, and not only him, but all of his family has to be happy.

And then the Rambam in Halacha Yurchas starts going through how a person achieves simcha.

How do you make sure your wife is happy?

How do you make sure your children are happy?

How do you make sure you are happy?

And these are famous sugyos about the end of Masechas Pesachim, with mead and wine and candies for the kids and clothing for the women.

And then the Rambam writes, וְכְּשְׁהו אֹכְל וְשְׁשָׁהֵ

that when a person eats and drinks it's not enough for himself to eat and drink he has to take care of the poor he has to take care of the unfortunate he has to take care of those who don't have others to take care of them but a person who locks his door and only takes care of himself and nobody else

Ein zu simchas mitzvah, el a simchas kreso.

That's not a simchas mitzvah, that is a simchas kreso.

So part of the mitzvah of simchas, says the Rambam, is by taking care of other people.

And maybe that's where this minhag comes from.

The minhag of giving ma'os chitim is in order to experience a greater sense of simchas yom tov on Pesach.

That's another possibility of what this minhag

might be based on.

The challenge with that is then why is it only a din in Pesach?

It should be a din in Sukkot as well.