Before this morning’s message, I want to take a moment to thank Cantor Siegel, Ben Laskowitz, all of our teachers and students who made our Erev Purim celebration such a success! With over 200 people in attendance we had a wonderful Purim experience filled with joy, laughter, song, and some great costumes! Thank you to all who participated!
I wanted to share an interesting article published yesterday in ejewishphilanthropy.com entitled, “On Generosity and Giving.” In it, Rabbi Lisa Goldstein asks us to think about our own generosity and our motivations for giving to others. She begins by describing a homeless man who is very effective in convincing NYC subway riders to give him money. Rabbi Goldstein writes:
I’ve seen him before; this is part of his regular beat. He usually ends his pitch by reminding the passengers that homelessness doesn’t only happen to “others.” A lost job, a house fire, a death in the family can be enough to tip the balance. He is pretty persuasive and more people give to him than to some of the other people asking for money in the New York subway.
I wonder what it is about this man that makes him such an effective tzedakah collector. Is it because, unlike other panhandlers, he is asking on behalf of other people? Or is it because he taps in to the underlying worry inside many subway passengers: could I become homeless?
I suspect that the latter reason is more likely. We all know that fear is a strong motivating factor for many kinds of actions. It is not surprising that the man on the subway addressed the nervousness among the passengers. What is surprising – and lovely – is that he helped them turn that anxiety into generosity.
Rabbi Goldstein then asks the critical question:
But part of me wondered: How much would he collect if he appealed to generosity born of a sense of abundance instead of a sense of scarcity? What if he asked people to consider their blessings, the daily miracles that allowed them to leave their apartments with coats and shoes, get on the subway and have a place to go? What if he asked them to give because of a full heart of gratitude?
To read her answer and the implications of her post, click here. Then ask yourself the following question: Why do I give (money, time, material goods, etc…)?
And of course, if you are comfortable sharing, I would love to hear your answers.
Have a blessed and generous day!