The rabbis had difficulty reconciling Daniel's concern and apparent friendliness towards the man who had destroyed the Temple. They handled this in two ways. When Daniel explains to Nebuchadnezzar the dream of the tree that was cut down, the rabbis viewed it in the context of Isaiah 56:1, which is sometimes rendered "Do what is right, and give alms." The midrashTanhuma, Mishpatim, 4 explains that Daniel advised himIn Daniel 4:24 to atone for his sins by good deeds, and for his misdeeds by kindness to the poor. This was because Daniel knew that many of the Jewish exiles were starving.
