Rosh Chodesh Adar! It's here. Besides for it being me Hebrew birthday on the 19th (:-D) it's going to be purim in about 15 days!
So excited, mishe mishe mishe mishe, .....
I wanted to share a thought, and a great point, that I deduced from and article written by an SFU student, Kristen McCathy.
She was in the downtown east side, otherwise known as 'crack town' and gave a loonie (dollar) to a homeless man on the street. She comments, on reflection, that the money was given for her not for the poor man.
How did she reach this conclusion? She asked herself, how far will that money go? What can a dollar buy? NOTHING> not even a bottle of water. (Well, maybe half of a big mac.)
If she was giving money to help the man, then she would have at least given him a $5, something that can buy a meal down there.
But she was giving to make HERSELF feel better, and so she admits.
What can we learn from this?
I think it's pretty clear.
Especially now, when we're getting our mishloach manot ready, we need to remember to spend more $$ on matanot l'evyonim.
We need to open our hands for others, not for ourselves. To help them, not just to make ourselves feel 'good.'
We should be matzliach in using these mitzvout of the month to inspire growth in achdut (unity) amongst klal Yisroel. Thus, bring gaula (redemption) and turning yom kiPURIM into PURIM.
Shabbat Shalom,
Kol Tov.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet
Posted by Sarah Rutti at 10:47 PM
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3 comments:
I find it interesting that you mentioned this Sarah. Yes, we are meant to give enough to an ani so that he can buy a decent quantity of food, but the giving of tzedaka is also for US. We NEED to give, and each action of giving changes us slightly. Therefore, if we were to give small amounts of money to all those that are needy and come our way, then we are changed and fulfilling the purpose of having poor people in the world. Man must give, and so G-d created poor people. What is more, while it is important to give a meaningful amount of money, no amount any one person can give is really enough. This leads me to believe that we are EACH meant to give, so that as a clal, as a whole, a substantial amount can be found. It's gaava on our part to think that our contribution alone should be enough. Anyways, these are my thoughts on the matter. Thanks for sharing this story and have a great Shabbos!
P.S. I like the picture.
:D
Thanks for clarifying SEP, I definitely agree with your points. That's exactly what I'm learning in Ahavas Chessed, we NEED to give.
So yes, in that sense, it is for us as well.
I was talking about how much you give. I think that it's important to note that when you do give tzadacka to a beggar you give him/her more then a few pennies or a dollar. But I don't mean to imply that we should, or can, give ALL that they need. As you mentioned, we can not fulfill the need alone, rather as a klal we can.
So, yes, I agree with your points and I thank you for clarifying.
Additionally, I know that a lot of people give extravagant mishloach manot and then .5 of that amount spent on mishloach manot is spent on matanot l'evyonim.
My point still stands, that people need to reach a little deeper into their pockets.
I want to stress that your point of continuously giving is crucial to our development as giving people. It is BETTER to give $5 to 20 people, then to give $100 to one person. A.) The very act of giving 20x helps to changes the giver. B.) More people are helped by the $100.
So thank you again Sara!
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