When We Give

By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOACH Fieldworker

In Judaism, there are plenty of opportunities to give. Social action and tikkun olam are major pillars of the religion, and it's hard to find a college campus that doesn't send a handful of students to help in an impoverished or troubled area over spring break. A simcha or celebration can be a time for gifts, but some people prefer donations to a charity of their choice. It's possible to similarly turn gift-giving holidays into chances for donation, such as giving money to tzedakah on one night of Hanukkah or having the prize for finding the Afikoman on Passover be a donation to a specified charity. The High Holidays are a time used by many congregations as an opportunity to ask members to contribute, to help enrich the communities in which they live. Some synagogues ask for donations, and some also ask members to pledge to help make a minyan on a certain day of the week or date for the coming year.

With so many chances to give and to participate, an interesting question arises. I remember being in synagogue when the subject of a d'var Torah involved the obligation to give. The congregation was asked whether, upon seeing a poor man begging for money on the street, it is better to give because we, as Jews, are required to, or out of the kindness of our hearts. The congregation was almost evenly split. Some considered it enough to be motivated by the commandment, while others felt that they would be moved to do so based on their human experiences.

Within both Judaism in general and the Conservative Movement specifically, observance tends to fluctuate. It's possible to find people who adhere to the same beliefs and practice entirely differently. As a result, some take the commandments and obligations of observance to heart, and that serves as their inspiration for doing good in the world. For others, the notion of what it is to be a Jew has less to do with particular practices and more to do with how one should live one's life. I firmly believe that, even if a person is motivated to help another out of spontaneous kindness rather than a fulfillment of their religious obligations, it all comes from the same place. The teachings of Judaism, and the communities in which we live, instruct us to constantly strive to be better people, and to help others, regardless of the origin of one individual act of charity.

[Posted 6/3/11]