Jewish Giving Ethics

 



It's such a good feeling to be writing to you again.  Last week I missed you because of the intermediate holiday, and had a beautiful end of the high holidays, culminating with a great Simchas Torah service.  On Shabbos and holidays, we're totally off the grid.  No phones, computers or cars.  On the intermediate holidays, we can use these tools if necessary, but it's better to refrain from "work".  I was hoping to draft a Sukkos email before the holiday but time didn't allow for it, and I decided to enjoy the week of no work and take a break.  I'll tell you more about this next week.  

While reading the Torah portion (Bereishis- which is the first portion of the whole Torah), I was thinking about Kayin and Hevel (In English they write Kain and Abel), Adam & Eve's children. 

As they grow up, they pursued different vocations, one becoming a shepherd and one becoming a farmer.  They both offered sacrifices from their livelihood to G-d, but while Hevel gave from the best of his crop, Kayin gave from less than the best.  G-d accepted Hevel's sacrifice and rejected Kayin's.  This aroused jealousy which resulted in the first murder case in mankind. 

The story really got me thinking.  What was really going on here?  Obviously, G-d created both of these people with different character traits.  Hevel was a more giving guy, while Kayin was on the stingy side.  Kayin still gave his sacrifice to G-d, and yet, G-d rejected it.  Why?  Shouldn't G-d appreciate that Kayin was thinking about Him, even if his offering was from less than his best?  Didn't G-d create Kayin with that more frugal and stingy nature? 

While pondering these questions, a few things became clear to me: 
(1)  G-d did expect Kayin to give from the best of his bounty and nothing less.  
(2)  Even if G-d created him with a more stingy nature, He still expected Kayin to overcome that nature and give from his best.
(3)  If he wasn't willing to push himself and give the best, his sacrifice deserved to be rejected. 

Even though Kayin had all good intentions, (and commentaries actually explain that he deliberately brought a mediocre gift, to show G-d that G-d even creates that which is not perfect- a philosopher!) 

The lesson is obvious, and in many areas: 
(1)  Let's start with money, because that's the most obvious.  Yes, G-d does want us to show that we know where it came from.  If you herd sheep, give from the best of your flock.  If you farm plants, offer the cream of the crop, if you earn cash for a living, give the "cream"  (just like cream floats to the top- the sages teach us to give our tithe before spending on personal expenses). 
(2)  Money is a good start, but it's not enough.  Every person is given gifts by G-d, and the best of that gift should go back to Him.
(3)  Yes, G-d gave each of us our character traits, and at the same time expects us to overcome the ones that aren't 100% kosher.  The excuse that this is how G-d made me doesn't work, for anything (maybe it's worth something at the gates of heaven, but not while we're still down here in this world). 
(4)  This one I'll let you come to your own conclusions on.

I've seen many people who are inclined to give anything but cash back to G-d, besides for a select few who were taught by their parents how to give.  It's a beautiful secret that is indeed hard to learn if you weren't raised with it, but it still can be learned and a taste can be developed for it.

This giving back to G-d is actually the real test whether we believe that everything indeed comes from G-d.  If it was Him Who gave it to me, and He wants a percentage back, it's a no brainer.  However, if I am the source of my good fortune (or bad fortune, for that matter), then who is G-d to tell me what to do with it? 

To read more about Jewish giving ethics, click here.

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