“We should be guided by the obviously hyperbolic words of the Chasidic Rebbe, Chaim of Sanz, ‘The merit of charity is so great that I am happy to give to 100 beggars, even if only 1 might actually be hungry. Some act as if they are exempt from giving charity to 100 beggars in the event that 1 might be a fraud.’”
Once again, Rabbi Telushkin presents us with a simple and direct ideal for interacting with The Other. Granted, I’m only a bit more than a week into this, but I am wondering - are all 365 days as simple and direct as this? Can the ethics of Judaism, the ethics of living a righteous life, be boiled down to such simple ideals?As Micah said, “Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God.” Paraphrasing my teacher Alan Ullman, “Doing justice and loving mercy. Those are important and anyone can do those. But if you are not also wrestling with the idea of what it means to do so while walking humbly with God, than are you ‘doing it’ Jewish?’”
Today we are being visited by my sister in law and niece. For dinner we’re grilling salmon - it was on sale at Whole Foods for $13.99 a pound. Five dollars off per pound! I know that I am blessed when I can say say, “I’ll take two pounds.” Will I also remember to listen to Chaim of Sanz, the next time I stop at a light and a gentleman or woman comes up to my car with sign which says, in effect, “I’m hungry”?
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