To Give or Not to Give

November 6, 2014 by

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Let's begin this one with a question. In Parshas Noach we learned that Hashem destroyed the world with a flood because theft had become so prominent. In this week's Parsha, we see that Hashem destroys Sedom and the surrounding area because the people were just not giving. I understand that the Generation of the Flood was evil and deserving punishment, but the people of Sedom - what did they do wrong? They weren't giving, but were they sinners? Pirkei Avos teaches that one who says "what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours has the character trait of Sedom," and leaves the description of rasha -sinner- for a different character trait. So where did they go wrong?

To answer let's look at a piece of Talmud. The Gemara in Kesubos relates the following incident: Rebbi Yochanan ben Zakkai once found the daughter of a very wealthy man searching for kernels of grain amongst animal dung. Knowing who her father was, he asked her what happened to her father's riches, to which she answered; in Jerusalem they have a saying: "Salt your money by getting rid of it." In other words, preserve your money by giving it away through tzedakah. Her father did not do that, and as a result, lost it all. This is an amazing idea, certainly one that goes against our common sense (or cents). We actually retain and secure our wealth by giving it. And to the contrary, by holding on to it, we can loose everything. This is why I believe the people of Sedom were punished. They were a society of non-givers and even had communal policy to ensure no needy people would access their wealth.

Financial security is attained through giving! Fortunate are those who realize this. I once approached a very wealthy person for a donation, someone who has been ranked in the Forbes Top 10. His response was "I'm trying to build wealth and insurance for my family and my children," and therefore he could not give. It is told that after the recent economy crash, a number of exceedingly wealthy people who had lost tons of money came to Rav Shteinman shlit"a for an explanation to why this had happened. Knowing of their great wealth he asked them "How much did you give to tzedakah?" After hearing how little they gave relative to what they made he then understood why this had happened to them.

I don't travel the world fundraising, but I've done it enough to learn some interesting things about people, money, and giving. Sometimes the renowned philanthropist won't even open his wallet, while the guy who's just making it will give generously. One special soul once told me "Hashem has blessed me with wealth, and I see myself as His messenger in giving it to those who need." This is the right outlook.

While giving might not be as bad as stealing, it can be extremely self-destructive towards one's wealth. Really we are all Hashem's messengers to distribute wealth to those who need. And if we're not going to do our job, then the wealth will be taken from us and given to someone else.

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