Generosity on the Judaic Path
click for more discussions fromThe Judaic View thru the eyes of Rabbi Mark Strauss-Cohn
One of my heroes in Jewish life is a man who was a great humanitarian and philanthropist. He made his money as a merchant and retailer but his fame came in his giving. Nathan Straus (no relation to me) was a part owner of Abraham & Straus (originally in Brooklyn) and R.H. Macy & Co. (Macy's) of New York. He was born in Germany in 1848 and his family came to this country in the 1850s. He died in New York in 1931. He was a successful businessman and used his wealth to advocate social justice and equity for all peoples. He championed a cause for pasteurized milk in the 1890s and early 1900s, when such a concept was not at all widely accepted. He gave mightily to health-related causes in the land of Israel, making sure to support efforts that benefited Jews, Christians, and Muslims. When he saw wealthy people debating over whether or not to give money for a charitable cause, he would say: "Don't give until it hurts, give until it feels good."
Before going to rabbinical school, I received a master's degree in history and researched Straus' life extensively for my thesis. I know that he was a synagogue-going man and that he was influenced by Jewish teaching and his rabbis. I suspect part of his generosity came out of understanding a vital episode in the Israelites' desert wandering and receiving the commandment to build a 'mishkan' - a tabernacle in which God could dwell. The series of instructions and commandments that come in Exodus related to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) are very involved and I believe give an insight into how generosity is viewed in Judaism. At the very start of building the Tabernacle, the opening series of commands are particularly instructive. Exodus 25, verses 1-9: The Lord spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering. And this is the offering that you shall take from them: gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson wool; linen and goat hair; ram skins dyed red, tachash skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense; shoham stones and filling stones for the ephod and for the choshen. And they shall make Me a holy sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do."
Clearly, giving is to be a gift from the heart. While the list of offerings ranged from goats' hair to gold, the Israelites all brought so much material that Moses actually had to tell them to stop bringing their offerings. The Tabernacle is called two things in God's initial instruction. It is both a 'Mishkan' as well as a 'Mikdash'. These words translate as 'Dwelling Place' and 'Holy Sanctuary' respectively. In order to make a world in which God can dwell, we need to be generous - with our hearts and with material goods. Not everyone has gold. In contrast to gold, goats' hair is commonplace in a nomadic society of shepherds. God is commanding the Israelites and the event teaches us to bring something valuable, something useful, and something that your heart has inclined you to bring. This is a teaching in Torah that advocates generosity and the inclination of your heart. Among the precious metals commanded to bring, the Israelites are told to bring gold, silver, and copper. A Jewish teaching on those three metals and how they are likened to generosity goes as follows. If you give while alive, and willingly, that is likened to gold. If you give under duress (either being forced to give or while on your death bed) that is likened to silver. If you give after you have died, that is likened to copper. Note: all these metals are good and important. And all giving is good but we are clearly instructed to give while we are alive and while we are able.
Beyond discussing generosity, I want to share why we give. Interestingly it is not out of love or even desire. Rather, it is to bring about tzedek - justice, balance, fairness and equity. In Judaism, we give because it is the right thing to do - and subsequently not out of love, which is the basis of charity. Charity comes from Latin and connotes love. While doing 'deeds of loving-kindness' is a part of Jewish life, ultimately, we do these actions because we want to see justice and fairness (tzedek) in our world. In defining the word tzedek, we can look to the description in Leviticus where fair weights and measures (Leviticus 19) are commanded. The word for 'fair' is tzedek. And so we are instructed to do fairness in all circles because it is the right thing. So, in the case of the needy: if our brothers are poor, then we are to open our hands to them. (Deuteronomy 15).
There is no shortage of texts and teachings I could turn to in order to demonstrate that generosity and giving are inherent in Jewish life. Nor is there a shortage in people like Nathan Straus whom we can proudly point to as leaders in generosity, where the giving is to benefit not just Jews but all humanity. In our own era, Jewish donors have been the benefactors of countless Jewish as well as secular, civic institutions - from schools to hospitals, art museums to libraries.
In the synagogue we don't "pass the plate" but rather take gifts in honor of people and in memory of loved ones and friends. From life-cycle events to birthdays, from healing from sickness to celebrating milestones in life, people often give tzedakah (a donation). What better way to celebrate or honor a life? In that way, when we do deeds of justice and loving-kindness, we hope to improve this world one generous act at a time.
Before going to rabbinical school, I received a master's degree in history and researched Straus' life extensively for my thesis. I know that he was a synagogue-going man and that he was influenced by Jewish teaching and his rabbis. I suspect part of his generosity came out of understanding a vital episode in the Israelites' desert wandering and receiving the commandment to build a 'mishkan' - a tabernacle in which God could dwell. The series of instructions and commandments that come in Exodus related to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) are very involved and I believe give an insight into how generosity is viewed in Judaism. At the very start of building the Tabernacle, the opening series of commands are particularly instructive. Exodus 25, verses 1-9: The Lord spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering. And this is the offering that you shall take from them: gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson wool; linen and goat hair; ram skins dyed red, tachash skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense; shoham stones and filling stones for the ephod and for the choshen. And they shall make Me a holy sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do."
Clearly, giving is to be a gift from the heart. While the list of offerings ranged from goats' hair to gold, the Israelites all brought so much material that Moses actually had to tell them to stop bringing their offerings. The Tabernacle is called two things in God's initial instruction. It is both a 'Mishkan' as well as a 'Mikdash'. These words translate as 'Dwelling Place' and 'Holy Sanctuary' respectively. In order to make a world in which God can dwell, we need to be generous - with our hearts and with material goods. Not everyone has gold. In contrast to gold, goats' hair is commonplace in a nomadic society of shepherds. God is commanding the Israelites and the event teaches us to bring something valuable, something useful, and something that your heart has inclined you to bring. This is a teaching in Torah that advocates generosity and the inclination of your heart. Among the precious metals commanded to bring, the Israelites are told to bring gold, silver, and copper. A Jewish teaching on those three metals and how they are likened to generosity goes as follows. If you give while alive, and willingly, that is likened to gold. If you give under duress (either being forced to give or while on your death bed) that is likened to silver. If you give after you have died, that is likened to copper. Note: all these metals are good and important. And all giving is good but we are clearly instructed to give while we are alive and while we are able.
Beyond discussing generosity, I want to share why we give. Interestingly it is not out of love or even desire. Rather, it is to bring about tzedek - justice, balance, fairness and equity. In Judaism, we give because it is the right thing to do - and subsequently not out of love, which is the basis of charity. Charity comes from Latin and connotes love. While doing 'deeds of loving-kindness' is a part of Jewish life, ultimately, we do these actions because we want to see justice and fairness (tzedek) in our world. In defining the word tzedek, we can look to the description in Leviticus where fair weights and measures (Leviticus 19) are commanded. The word for 'fair' is tzedek. And so we are instructed to do fairness in all circles because it is the right thing. So, in the case of the needy: if our brothers are poor, then we are to open our hands to them. (Deuteronomy 15).
There is no shortage of texts and teachings I could turn to in order to demonstrate that generosity and giving are inherent in Jewish life. Nor is there a shortage in people like Nathan Straus whom we can proudly point to as leaders in generosity, where the giving is to benefit not just Jews but all humanity. In our own era, Jewish donors have been the benefactors of countless Jewish as well as secular, civic institutions - from schools to hospitals, art museums to libraries.
In the synagogue we don't "pass the plate" but rather take gifts in honor of people and in memory of loved ones and friends. From life-cycle events to birthdays, from healing from sickness to celebrating milestones in life, people often give tzedakah (a donation). What better way to celebrate or honor a life? In that way, when we do deeds of justice and loving-kindness, we hope to improve this world one generous act at a time.
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