For the practising Jew it is axiomatic that one should serve God and do His will with simchah, happiness. Sometimes, though, it is hard to reconcile the reality with this ideal.
The commandment of tzedakah, the making of charitable gifts and donations, is a case in point. Throughout both the written Torah and its oral counterpart we learn of the importance of tzedakah. Pirkei Avot is no exception. Rabbi Elazar Ish Bartota (Avot 3:8) reminds us to give with a good conscience since everything we have in the first place belongs to God In the fifth chapter (Avot 5:16) we learn of the four different types of (non-)donors:
There are four types of givers of charity: (i) one who wants to give but does not want others to give is mean-spirited towards others [since he wants to retain all the glory for himself]; (ii) one who wants others to give but does not want to give himself is mean-spirited towards himself; (iii) one who wants both to give and that others should give is a chasid [essentially someone who is magnanimous]; (iv) one who wants neither himself nor others to give is wicked.
The sixth chapter (Avot 6:6) adds that love of tzedakot is one of the 48 means through which a mastery of Torah is acquired.
So what is the problem? It is one of ends and means.
At base, tzedakah means giving to the needy. In theory we can eliminate all poverty (Devarim 15:4) but in reality (Devarim 15:11) the poor are always with us. With most other commandments, once the action in question is performed the task is complete. However, with tzedakah—unless we are able to make lifestyle-changing donations—the poor remain poor, the hungry hungry and the destitute destitute even after we have done our bit to help them.
Going back to Avot 6:6, another of the 48 steps to acquiring mastery of the Torah is that of not ascribing credit to oneself for the good things one does. This precept is more or less self-fulfilling in the case of tzedakah since it is difficult to pat oneself on the back and congratulate oneself on giving a poor person a good meal today when you know he or she will be foraging for food tomorrow.
On a personal note, I have been trying to help the Abayudaya community in Uganda. This community is struggling to recover from the devastating effects of recent floods. At every step of the way I am reminded of the needs that remain unmet, both at community and individual level, and of the personal suffering and anxieties that will remain even after the flurry of pre-Yom Kippur charitable donations abates.
Of the four types of donor mentioned at Avot 5:16, I am firmly in the camp of those who both give and want others to give. I give with reluctance since it is always hard to part with one’s money, and with a mind full of conflict since there are several other charities that I support and that are closer to heart and home than the Abayudaya, however great may be their suffering. Still, if anyone wishes to make a contribution, here are a couple of causes they may wish to consider:
Abayudaya Emergency Aid Fund: https://tinyurl.com/2p9393p5
Shalom Children’ Care Centre for Orphans: https://tinyurl.com/4eps48xf
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