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PAGE THREE

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Rosh Hashonah Greetings

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Philanthropy In
Rabbinical Literature

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ABRAHAM CRONBACH, M. D.

Written by the Tract. Commission of the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations and Central Conference of American R•bbis.

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The Jewish people, according to My fathers laid up barren treasures.
the Talmud, are distinguished for I lay up fruitful treasures. My lath-
compassion. Of this compassion, ors laid up monetary treasures.
My
we have in the philanthropic teach- I lay up spiritual treasures.
Bats of the rabbis an extensive and fathers Mist up what others duly
striking exhibition. In terms of inherited. I lay up that whereby
compassion, their very ineonsist- I myself shall be blesSed. My
envies become explicable. If coo- fathers laid up treasures in this
passion prompts, with endless sari- world. I lay up treasures in the
ations, the theme of the rewards world to come." Similarly when a
awaiting the charitable here and heathen, arguing: wit h a rabbi,
hereafter, it also prompts the de- raised the question: If your God
mend that, in doing deeds of char- loves theAmor why does Ile not
ity, all ulterior motives he es- give them sustenance?" The
chewed. The infinite compunction rabbi answered: "In order that we
about wounding the sensibilities of might, through benevolence, be
the poor as well as the reluctance rescued from hell-fire." To us of
to make investigations and to dis- the twentieth century, the rabbi's
criminate against impostors mini- argument may be unacceptable.
tests compassion. No less so does 'let the compassion which prompt-
the host of shrewd practical ar- ed the argument need not alto-
rangements for organizing charity gether fail of our approval. In-
and rendering it efficient; under deed, at one point the rabbis main-
the impact of hard reality, radiant lain that, so long as the deed it•
theories here as always undergoing self is worthy, there is no oeca-
modification. Surely offspring of slim to be hyperscrupulous about
compassion are the reflections that the motive.
Israel as a people is asserted to
"the poor man is a dead man," and
that if all other evils were in one obtain redemption through acts of
pan of the scale and poverty in the philanthropy, benevolence being
other, poverty would outweigh viewed as more potent in this re-
them all." But equally a product Bard than burnt offerings and BA
of compassion is the subtle intui- an adequate substitute for the
Lion that God could find for Israel altar that once stood in Jerusalem.
nought more gracious than poverty All of the other meritorious deeds
sed that"povs rty is as beautiful in enjoined by Judaism are deemed
the Jews as a red bridle on a to be in combination no greater
snow white steed." than charity alone. According to
We take up these several points one opinion at least, benevolence
is for the Gentiles the only mode
in the order of their mention:
of expiation for sin. Conversely,
1. Rewards.
neglect of charity which brings
Ulterior Motives.
upon oneself or one's children pes-
a. Sensibilities.
titmice, property confiscation and
4. Impostors.
poverty (besides various unspeci-
5. Organization.
fled curses and punishment I en-
I. Rewards.
Among the rewards alleged to tails on the national side, the tri-

result from charity are prosperity, umph of Israel's enemies. i
riches, security, long life, wise, We also encounter the idea that
learned and wealthy sons effica- fortune resembles a wheel causing
cious prayers, blessings and divine 11111" who are today exalted to be
favors in general, deliverance tomorrow brought low; wherefore
various troubles, exemption from let today's rich have regard for to-

oppressive taxes and immunity "v s poor. One authority asserts
against sudden or accidental that no one ever came to grief as
a consequence of benevolence."
death. "Help for the helper and
"The giver benefits more than the
mercy for the merciful" is, in es-
recipient." "What thou doest, for
sence, the Talmudic formula.
thyself thou docst." Uncharita-
"Practice benevolence and earn
bleness, on the other hand, is cen-
longevity," said a renowned sage
SUred as idolatry, atheism, robbery
to a community notorious for its
and murder, with all of the divine
high death rate. A certain saint
displeasure which these implied.
who, when the charity funds in
2. Ulterior Motives.
his charge were exhausted, sup.
At the same time there is no
ported out of his own means a
lack
of
reproof for self-seeking in
widow and seven children is re-
puted to have had 15 years added philanthropy and of commendation
bestowed
upon "kindness for its
to his life by heavenly decree.
Stories are told of people fated to own sake." The story is told of a
rabbi
who
foresaw
in a dream that
die at a given hour yet miracu-
lously saved by reason of their his nephews would be mulcted by
the
Roman
government
of a large
charitableness. Twenty-four bliss-
sings are said to await him who sum of money. Without divulg-
does give, just as 24 curses impend ing this expectation, he prevailed
upon the nephews to donate most
overhint who refuses.
Then there are the rewards of of that sum to charity; thus leav-
the hereafter. It is expected that ing very little for the government
questions regarding one's charit- to extort. When at length the
ableness will he asked at the judg- nephews learned of their uncle's
ment seat, "Great the journey, dream, they asked hint why he had
scant the provision!" exclaimed a made a secret of his prognosti-
dying saint as, almost with his last cation. "My purpose," he replied,
breath, he bequeathed a large sum "was to have you perform the
to the poor. That saint resembled good deed for its own sake." One
the king who had been converted of the disparaging things said
from heathenism to Judaism and about the ancient Gentiles was
who in a time of drought, gave that their only motive in phjltn-
away all of his belongings to the thropy was boasting and display.
needy. His relatives rebuked him: When one considers the extrents
"Thy fathers increased their patri- leisureliness with which trading is
mony but thou art a squanderer." done in the Orient, one senses the
"My fathers," replied the' king, satire in the Talmudic remark
"laid up treasures here below; I that he who seeks immediate re-
lay we treasures on high. My wards for his charitableness is
fathers laid up treasures where like the customer who .says:
human hands may reach. I lay up "Here's the suck, here's the
treasures beyond human reach. money, here's the measure, quick
—the grain!"
Among the appeals to exalted
motivations are the reflections that
Rosh Hashonah Greetings charity is a world preserver, that
charity vouchsafes a glimpse of
God and a bearing of God's sad,
and that charity is a lendirm to if
not a restoring to God. It is an
imitation of God who, in the C8,1'
of Adam and Eve, clothed the
naked, in the case of Abraham, vis-
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ited the sick and in the case of
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charitable is to perfOrm in Gosl'
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Alleviating the distress which
causes the poor to clamor against
God, charity reconciles man and
God. The preference for secrecy
and the avoidance of show it,
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Anted to the sentiment against
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Greetings of the Season

D. J. Archer

Sheet Metal
Roofing of All Kinds

Sensibilities.
3.
Enormous stress Is laid upon
consideration for the feelings of
the needy. "Better to jump into
0 furnace that to embarrass one's
fellow man." "Better no giving at
1111 than the giving that humili-
ates." "Whoso loth charity in se-
cret is greater than Moses, our
toaster." In the Temple at Je-
rusalem as well as in other Pales-
tinian places, there is said to have
been a "chamberof the silent,"
where gifts could be clandestinely
placed by the charitable and se-
cretly obtained by the indigent.

LITHUANIA REJECTS
PROPOSAL TO AMEND
SUNDAY REST LAWS

REPAIRING

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May the New Year Bring a Full Measure of
Happiness and Prosperity to Our Patrons
and Friends is the Wish of

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Al. Kenney

C We Wish All Our Jewish Friends and
Patrons a Happy and Prosperous
New Year

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One Talmudic passage says:
"Better than giving is lending, and
better than lending is setting up
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the bases of the famous eight de-

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Wishing All Our Jewish Friends and Neigh-
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WE EXTEND TO THE JEWISH
PEOPLE OF DETROIT OUR
HEARTY AND SINCERE GREET-
INGS FOR THE NEW YEAR.
MAY IT BE ONE OF HAPPINESS
AND PROSPERITY FOR YOU
AND YOURS

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discriminating families, enables this
studio to combine those subtleties of
composition and tone which dieren-
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and a portrait which is genuinely artis-
tic. While Hayes portraits are invari-
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still they are so conservative as to be
always in unquestionable good taste.

On this point curious stories are
told. One is that of a saint who grees of charity enumerated by the
would fling his gift behind him first time by Maimonides about the
wrapped in a scarf that the re- year 1170. These degrees are, in
cipient might renutin unknown to descending order:
the giver. Another holy man,
1. Business opportunities lead-
aiming to keep himself, the trivet., ing to self support.
unknown to the recipient, would
2. Gifts where both giver and
place his gift stealthily into the recipient are unknown to each
recipient's door socket. To avoid other as, for example, donationi
detection by the recipient who, to it public fund.
one day, chanced to be watching,
:1. Gifts where the recipient is
the generous donor took refuge in known to the giver but not vice
On empty furnace. It happened versa.
that the furnace had not yet COM-
4. Gifts where the giver is
pletely cooled; hence the sobri- known to the recipient but net
quet "scorch legs" applied to the vice versa.
holy can ever afterwards. An-
5. Giving before any request is
other said would go to the needy made.
person with the pretense that ho
es. Giving upon request but giv-
had heard of an inheritance which ing sufficiently.
was coming to the needy person
7. Giving insufficiently but cor-
and would insist upon lending dially.
money to the needy one on the
8. Giving with reluctance.
strength of that inheritance. Later
For the highest deers, of benev-
the proffered return of the money olence, the exact wording is: "A
would be declined. Giving in the gift, a loan. it partnership, a job
guise of a loan was, with the leading to independence." Some
rabbis, a highly honored philan- writers construe this passage as an
thropic expedient. Misfortune is anticipation of modern social serv-
predicted for the children of one ice support and economic adjust-
who is so discourteous as to ad- ment. Such, however, is hardly its
11011 kb a healthy beggar: "What real sense. As shown both by its
ESTAMMIED Ms
shoulders, what a hanks, what a tontext and by its history, the pas-
paunch, what fat! Why do you sage is merely one of many urging
not work for your food?" The regard for the poor season's sensi-
principle became codified into bilities.
Jewish law that a poor person
Finally, relit te d to the seruple `...tejz12.1.:,,,j.ws ,o. 4olz71zet4tnizel, 744:73'.. 7^ 1 ;7. 1' 11 T;y
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who had, in better times, been ac- about the sensibilities of the S'.'''''''''''''''- ''''''''-''''' - --
- 4,
customed to certain luxuries needy, are passages contrasting .-.
1:1 '
t
should be provided with the same alms with kindness. Kindness, ac- +50,:
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,i
luxuries even to the extent of a cording to the Talmud, is in three
riding horse and a footman. Of respects greater than alms. Alms
the great Ilillel it is reported that, involve money; kindness includes
after supplying the horse, he him- service as well as money. Alms
self rendered footman service to are only for the poor, kindness for
an unfortunate who had seen bet- rich as well as poor. Alms are for
ter days. An assertive beggar the living; kindness for both the
who would demand and obtain ex- dead and the living. Kindness is
pensive poultry to eat was ones the fulfillment of alms, The Torah
asked: "Is not this an imposi - ' begins with kindness—that of
tion?" The reply was: "Am I God to Adam and Eve—and the
eating what belongs to the com- Torah ends with kindness—that of
munity? I am eating what be- God to Moses. Concordant with
longs to God; for God, as Scrip- all of this, the codified law en-
ture teaches, 'giveth food to all joins: "Giving should be gm- :4,4
flesh.' " Another story recounts cious, cheerful, willing, sympa-
how an indigent person who had thetic, consoling. In giving with
been accustomed to certain deli- a grudge, there is no merit. Ile
cacies expired when his own re- who is unable to give should not
quest for coarse fare was com- scold and should not shout. le t
plied with.
him speak words of encourage-
Among the instances of those ment and show at least a willing-
escaping deadly serpent bites is ness to give." The Talmud avers
that of a man credited with having that where six blessings are in
et:I:trived once to spare the feel- store for him who gives, there are
ings of a needy comrade. A com- eleven for him who speaks kindly.
pany of workers had been accus-
4. Impostors.
tomed to pool their bread and to
The question of charity impos. ,
receive equal allotments at lunch tare was one which the rabbis
time. On this occasion one of the squarely faced. One authority
group had. owing to poverty, come holds that the very aim of charity ..
unsuppliml with bread. The one is defeated if one fails to dis-
in charge of the distribution man- criminate between ins deserving
aged to keep this predicament hid- and the undeserving. The saint i's!
den from the other workers. His who to spare the feelings of the is:.
reward was deliverance from the needy, would fling his alms bound ,
serpent which was destined to in a scarf behind him is said to
sting him. Consideration of sensi- have "kept an eye" on impostors. ."S
bilities is also the reason advanced It is regarded as a punishment for
for giving women preference over sin to be inveigled into giving to
men and female orphans ' , refer-
(T11111 ill Next Page).
ence over males when, in the
course of benevolence, question of
such preference might arise. Sim-
ilar is the opinion that when
Season's Greetings
clothes are the benefit asked for,
preliminary investigation be
waived.
Allied with this is much that is
affirmed about the superiority of
food over money as a charitable
gift. Stories are told of certain
women who stood higher than
their husbands in divine favor be-
cause the women, being at home,
were in a position to give food
while the best the husbands could
do was to give coins. Death from
starvation was a possibility dread-
.
ed as an outcome of delay. One
story tells of a suppliant who died
while the saint to whom he ap-
pealed was hurriedly untying the
package in which the food was
contained. "Blinded be mine eye ,
which saw thee and pitied the ,
not; crippled be my feet whisk
ran not to help thee; yea be rev
whole body covered with sores!"
wailed the disconsolate saint and
Cartage Contractors
the woeful self imprecations were,
according to the story, actually

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WOVNO.—(J. T. A.1—The
Council of Ministers rejected the
proposal for the amendment of
the Sunday compulsory rest law
submitted in a memorausium on
behalf of the Jewish communities.
Assurances were given some
tinie ago that relief from the com-
pulsory Sunday rest law will be
forthcoming.

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