Today, I would like to pose a question. When you decide to donate to a charitable cause, which is a greater challenge for you: to think how hard it is for you to part with your money, or to think how worthy the cause is? Which thought makes you more uncomfortable?
The truth is that both thoughts make us uncomfortable. It is difficult to part with our money and it is not much fun to think about others’ troubles, either. That is why we prefer to just think about ourselves. There is a reason why we are called the “Me” society. It is all about me. Not because we are so selfish; we are not bad people. It is simply too difficult and too taxing to concern ourselves with someone else’s needs—to the point of our personal discomfort and financial pressure.
This reminds of me of the story of the Jewish traveling salesman who comes to a farming community and sees the whole town mourning the loss of Johnny’s barn. Everyone is saying how sad it is that Johnny lost his barn to a fire. This poor Jew pulls $10 out of his pocket and says to one mourner, “I don’t know Johnny, but his story moves me at a cost of $10. How much does his barn loss move you?”
This is the reason why when this week’s Torah portion talks about the mitzvah of tzedaka – giving charity – the Torah uses the double expression Potoach Tiptach, “open shall you open,” and then Ha’obeit Ta’obeit, “give shall you give.” G-d understands our challenge very well. Giving charity is work on our part on two fronts.
A – We have to tell ourselves over and over again, give shall you give. Over and over again, because every time we reach for our wallets, part of us tells ourselves to stop. What are you doing? It’s your money … don’t give it away! So we need the reminder to give—and then the struggle starts all over again.
B – We must also think about the cause: There is a person or an organization that needs our help. But we don’t want to invest the emotional capital that it takes to really care. This is where the Torah teaches us that we must invest ourselves in the process. It is not just about the money; it is about caring. Yes, it might be difficult, but we must try, and when we pull back, we must try again and again and again.
G-d expects us to be real people – to have heart, to have feelings – to be caring individuals who give to people and give for the right reasons.
This week we bless the month of Elul, when we blow the Shofar to prepare for the New Year. It is not too early to start thinking of what it means to be a giving Jew—and what it means to ask G-d to be a giving G-d.
When we can show G-d that we feel and care for others, we too, can ask G-d that He shall care and feel for us. And may He bless us that all of our needs be blessed, and may He give us and give us and give us over and over again.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Shaya Deitsch