Torah Study > Chapter 4: Tzedek, Tzedakah, & Chesed > Case Studies
Case Studies
Giving From Your Heart?
Dennis Prager suggests a hypothetical case, which has been presented to
several thousand Jewish and non-Jewish high school students:
Two people with the same income and social standing were approached
by a poor man for assistance. The first man, hearing the needs of this poor
man’s family, is moved to tears. He digs deep into his pocket, pulls out a
$5 bill and presses it compassionately into the palm of the poor man.
The second man, somewhat in a hurry, hears enough of the man’s story
to get the picture, reaches into his pocket and pulls out some bills, knowing
that Judaism requires him to give a minimum amount and to help a
person according to his needs. He gives $100 to the man and rushes off.
• Which man did the better thing?
• Put yourself in the place of the man who needed the money. Which
would you prefer?
• Does this change your thoughts about who did the better deed?
Consider the following: The majority of the teenagers to whom this scenario
was presented asserted that the person who gave the five dollars
from his heart performed the better deed.
• What do you think this response says about the society that we
live in?
This response suggests that in secular society, even charity is becoming
a somewhat selfish act. Many people are less concerned with the good
their money will do than about how they feel giving it.
You may what to share with the group Dennis Prager’s articulation of the
issue:
"Judaism would love you to give 10 percent of your income each year
from your heart. It suspects, however, that in a large majority of cases,
were we to wait for people’s hearts to prompt them to give a tenth of
their money away, we would be waiting a very long time. Ergo, Judaism
says, ‘Give ten percent-and if your heart catches up, terrific. In the meantime,
good has been done.’ This suggests that, not withstanding the
reaction of the teen audiences, the person who gave the $100 did the
more meritorious deed.”
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Preserving a Livlihood
An indigenous people living in the rain forest in the Congo are unable to
make a living in this global society. International lumber companies are cutting
down portions of the rain forest—some of them in a responsible fashion
and some not. The only way for these indigenous people to survive is
through illegally harvesting the trees in the forest and poaching game animals
to sell for high-priced meat. The local government has just annexed additional
acres of the forest, declared them national parks and needs assistance
to enforce anti-poaching laws through training and hiring park personnel.
Imagine yourself as a member of a team sent here by the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) which is concerned about the degradation of the forest and the
threat to the survival of the wild animals. Your job is to fashion a solution to
this situation. Explore the reasons why these local people act as they do, and
talk about how you, as WWF staff, would address these various issues: economic need, respect for local people, environmental protection, and limited
governmental resources. Your philosophy of how to deal with this situation is
partly explained through the following official WWF statement:
“WWF is committed to supporting indigenous and traditional peoples in the
conservation and sustainable management of their resources. Underpinning
WWF’s approach to working with indigenous and traditional peoples is recognition of the need to establish lasting conservation partnerships. These must be based on solid understanding of the links between biological and cultural diversity, appreciation for indigenous peoples’ contributions to biodiversity conservation, and recognition of their legitimate rights and interests.”
• Where would you exercise tzedek, and where tzedakah?
• Is there an opportunity to apply the principle of mishpat here as well?
You can find more information about such situations at
www.worldwildlife.org and at Living on the Earth (www.loe.org).
Help participants see how the various pieces fit together:
a) The indigenous people need honorable jobs that are meaningful to
them and can sustain their spirits and their families’ material needs.
b) The government needs more people to protect the local environment,
which the local people know well.
c) WWF can assist by training the local people in cooperation with the
local government and hiring them to be the new park rangers.
d) Environmentalists around the world can give money to assist these
local efforts.
This may be regarded as tzedek, the highest level of giving; teaching someone
how to make a living. It is tzedakah, giving to a government to support
its people and a cause. Mishpat is also in evidence if poachers who continue
to kill animals and illegally harvest wood are brought to justice. But additional
efforts at tzedek, relieving them of the need to poach to exist, must also be
pursued.
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