Every six months or so I shop my closet and purge it of whatever I no longer feel I need. I somehow manage to accumulate two full shopping bags of clothes- mostly hand me downs from my mom or once-worn Forever XXI outfits- and make a trip to Plato's Closet to try and make a buck or two per shirt. Whatever Plato doesn't want is dropped of at Goodwill (after a month or two of helplessly sitting in my car). Last night I went to an interesting class where I learned that Jews have an OBLIGATION to provide clothing for the homeless. When I first heard this I happily thought, "well, I've got that covered!" I was wrong:
The clothing we are to donate must be presentable, wearable, and in good condition. I learned that my favorite blouse with a wine stain on it, a ten year old sundress, or my Northface jacket with a tear on the sleeve won't cut it. This roots back to a fundamental Jewish principle stating that we are to avoid embarrassing another at all costs. The homeless shouldn't be forced to look homeless, and they shouldn't have to pick the best of picked-over rags. Thus, I doubt I will ever be able to walk back into a Plato's Closet to try to sell gently used clothes without a small man standing on my shoulder whispering "YOU SHOULD DONATE THAT!!!"
I know of a kind woman who has fourteen children (yes, FOURTEEN!). She is a great grandmother and still has two children living at home. She is a full-time teacher, but somehow, every Friday, her and a friend collect clothing from local homeless people and wash the clothing for them. And you thought YOU had a full plate? I have also been to a very special warehouse that has a clothing "store," where the less-fortunate can come and shop, either for free or highly-subsadized prices, and they leave with a shopping bag full of clothing. The children leave thinking they were in a normal store and the adults leave with their dignity.
In Judaism, there are seven levels of giving charity (Tzedakah). The levels of charity from least meritorious to most are:
1. Giving begrudgingly
2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
3. Giving after being asked
4. Giving before being asked
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant
This past Tuesday I was honored to attend the Friends of the Israel Defense Force (FIDF) annual dinner. I believe they raised something like two million dollars for young Israeli soldiers throughout the evening. I was thrilled to hear that as the cause is very close to my heart. The primary fundraising strategy took place immediately after dinner, where guests who wished to donate additional funds were asked to stand and speak into a microphone on camera to announce their donation. The feeling in the room was a cocktail of curiosity and discomfort. Many stood up, donating anywhere from $500 to, get this, SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars. 1000 pairs of eyes shifted from person to person wondering who will top the highest bidder. While the numbers were shockingly high, I couldn't help but think that this method is probably the least gracious way to inspire donation. Seeing people stand up and donate caused a wonderfully generous chain reaction of further donations. It was effective, but not affective. Unfortunately that is the world we live in today, but it doesn't have to be. As much as I'd like to make $50 at Plato's Closet, I think that I have to start giving graciously, without looking for anything in return.
Still, any form of giving is good, great, wonderful! I can only speak for myself though, in saying that I have to start giving in a more selfless way.
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