FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)As we continue our look at Maimonides’ levels of charity, a study we started in this column several weeks ago, we see that the less shame a recipient experiences, the better the mitzvah the giver has carried out.
Rung three is the opposite of rung four –– the donor knows to whom he donates, but the recipient does not know from whom the money came.
Level three is reminiscent of stories of the Sages, who weekly would put envelopes of Shabbat money at the doors of the poor. In this level, the donor can feel good about himself, he knows whom he has helped, but the recipient is still able to maintain a sense of dignity.
Level two is giving anonymously, where neither party knows the other. A good example of this is the tzedakah box. When a giver puts a coin in the pushka for needy children, he knows not which needy child will receive the aid. When the child is helped, he does not know who specifically aided him, would not recognize the person if he saw him on the street.
No ego is involved. Giving in the fashion of level two is considered giving solely for the sake of the mitzvah.
But there is yet a higher level! Stay tuned for next week’s Judaism 101…