Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in a Theme-Development form. In other words a broad general idea is stated first followed by the development of this broad general theme in specific details. Today's example illustrates this as shown below.

Verse Dt15-11c discussing the obligation to give charity states For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt surely open thy hand
• General: unto thy brother
• Detail: to the poor
• Detail: to the indigent in thy land.'

The Rabbi Ishmael style rules require interpreting a General-Detail style restrictively, as referring only to the detail class. Hence the Rashi comment Of all thy brothers you must only give charity to the poor (but not to the rich).

Advanced Rashi: We can understand this better using the classical Talmudic distinction between the person vs. object.
• If poverty is an attribute of the person then you would have to only give charity to poor people!
• But if poverty is an attribute of objects then you would have to give charity whenever even a rich person wanted a certain object.
Hence the restriction of the verse of the obligation of giving charity to the poor can be understood as indicating that poverty is defined by the status of the person vs. the status of the need for a particular object.