The Art of Giving [NFTW #48]

What’s good my people? I hope we’re all doing well. My sisters and I had our half-year review this weekend. We spoke about our year so far providing updates on what we’ve been getting up to, what’s been going well, not so well and all the things in between. We’ve launched a project that we’ll be announcing at the end of the year and were speaking about potential ways to structure the project. In this discussion we took an interesting tangent and spoke about the nature of charity and what giving from our respective perspectives actually looks like.

The Art of Giving

During the discussions with my sisters I was reminded of Maimonides’ Ladder of Tzedakah (Righteousness/Charity). Maimonides was a Jewish philosopher in the Arabat empire of the time. He argued that the righteousness of a person that gives to the poor cannot just be judged by the amount of money that he/she gives. 

The eight levels of charity were as follows:

1. Giving begrudgingly: This level of giving involves providing assistance but without genuine willingness or enthusiasm. An example could be donating old clothes to a charity organization while feeling resentful about parting with them.

2. Giving less if you should but giving it cheerfully: In this case, the giver may initially consider giving a smaller amount or resource than expected but does so with a positive and cheerful attitude. For instance, someone could donate a smaller sum of money than they intended but does it with a smile, acknowledging that every contribution counts.

3. Giving after being asked: This level of giving entails responding to a request for help or support. An example could be when a friend asks for a favor, such as helping them move furniture, and the person willingly assists after being asked.

4. Giving before being asked: This level of giving involves proactively offering help or resources without waiting for a direct request. For example, if a person notices a colleague struggling with a task, they offer their assistance without being prompted.

5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity: An example of this type of giving could be making an anonymous donation to a scholarship fund or a community project, where the recipient is aware of the donor's existence but does not know their identity.

6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity: In this scenario, the giver is aware of the recipient's identity but chooses to remain anonymous. One example could be leaving a surprise gift or financial assistance for someone in need, without revealing the giver's identity.

7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity: This level of giving involves a completely anonymous exchange, where neither the giver nor the recipient knows each other's identity. A common example is making a donation to a charitable organization online, where the donor remains anonymous, and the organization distributes the funds accordingly.

8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant: This level of giving focuses on empowering others to become self-sufficient and independent. An example could be providing job training, education, or mentoring to individuals, equipping them with the skills and resources needed to thrive on their own.

It’s quite an interesting paradigm shift in considering that the highest form of giving is providing the ability for the recipient to become self-reliant.

Listens This Week

Until next week. Peace.