MONEY...MONEY....MONEY

A story was told by the late Rabbi Pinchas Peli of Jerusalem that illustrates the connection of Jews to tzedakah. In an army roll call one morning, each recruit was to answer to the shout of his name.  The corporal called out “Kelly” and “Here” was the response.  “Armstrong.” “Here.”  Next came Private Cohen’s turn.  “Cohen.”  Being habituated to charity appeals so often in his life, Private Cohen yelled out, “Twenty-five dollars.”

In other congregations Kol Nidrei was always an evening for making appeals for tzedakah.  Congregants would be given pledge cards for supporting their synagogue or local federation and would be asked to bend down a corner indicating the amount they wished to pledge.  The idea of having an appeal on Kol Nidrei was attached to the phrase found in the un’tanetokef prayer.  That phrase says that repentance, prayer, and charity will remove the evil decree.  What better time was there to appeal to the soul of the emotional Jew.

Somehow our community never found such appeals appealing due to their timing.  But that is not to say that we did not believe in the power of tzedakah.  Some might argue that it is very costly to belong to the organized Jewish world.  There is always a price tag placed on synagogue membership, education, camping, and organizational life.  In fact some might agree with the devil’s advocate in a story told by Dov Peretz Elkins.  The advocate asked G-d to take all the prayers of the Jews from all over the world and place them in a machine to figure out what words were used most frequently.  The devil’s advocate was convinced that the prayers were meaningless.  Sure enough, G-d did as suggested and out came the words: Money, money, money.  Seeing this, a kind angel asked G-d to place the prayers in the same machine a second time to get a more detailed clarification of the words.  Sure enough, the words came out but this time in the following manner:  Money for schools, money for synagogues, money for the poor and the oppressed, money for hospitals, money for the arts and culture, money for university endowment funds, money for Israel, and money for a just society, etc. etc. etc.    The kind angel rested his case.

The idea that Tzedakah will save one from death is definitely a theme that resonates on the High Holydays as well as on other days. There are times in our lives when we feel moved to give tzedaka to others.  We  are confronted with the scenes of victims of natural disasters, we hear the stories of individuals facing a health crisis, and we learn about organizations that do research to combat disease…we are constantly evaluating  whether or not we are touched enough to give to such causes.   That kind of giving is intuitive.

But not all giving is intuitive.  Think back to your own upbringing.  What were you taught about giving tzedakah?  Were you taught that it is not about being nice, that it is about trying to be just?  Were you taught that you need to be an automatic giver to the community in which you live?  For those who learned about tzedakah from their parents or their religious leaders, perhaps the message  you heard was that whatever you have is really a gift from G-d and your job is to conduct part of those resources to those in need.  Giving tzedakah is part of one’s duty. It doesn’t matter if one lacks emotion while giving.  It is an obligation.  Some of our giving is learned.

Whether you give to individuals because you feel their pain or to organizations because you know they support the life of the community, it is important to give. Sometimes we are led to believe that money is the root of all evil.  It is not.  The root of evil stems from lack of concern about others; from being able to encounter others in need and refusing to reach out to aid them.  Giving tzedakah reaches beyond political philosophies.  It is a core value of Judaism that recognizes you start by providing for the poor in your household but you do not end there.  After you’ve helped a family member who needs your help, you reach out to your community. 

It’s true that organizational life in Jewish Lincoln is really quite bare bones now compared to 30 years ago.  There is no active Sisterhood, Hadassah, B’nai Brith, or Israel Bonds Organization.  One might assume that since we have lost many of the organizations that used to collect tzedakah  our need for collecting it has also been reduced.  That is not the case.  We still need individuals to reach out beyond themselves.

Even here at Tifereth Israel we have individuals who struggle to put food on their tables.  Contributions to the Lay-Leader Discretionary Fund can help provide grocery cards to alleviate that situation.  Supplying canned goods for our food bank that is maintained in our back hallway also helps feed those who are hungry while respecting their dignity. I know that the Federation also runs a local emergency fund, but the monies in that fund have been tapped due to the impact of today’s economy on many individuals who have lost employment or are under-employed.  If Tifereth Israel can help those individuals, our collective sense of doing mitzvah work will be increased.  Donations to the synagogue will help ensure that our young receive a Jewish education outside of the home and that our programming can continue for all age groups.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that there is no blessing that one recites before giving tzedakah.  In essence, giving tzedakah is the blessing that brings life to all..to the giver and to the receiver.  May we all avert the evil decree this year by pledging to increase our habit of giving tzedakah in order to better the lives of others and this community.

Gmar Chatimah Tovah.