The Heart of Charitable Giving

We all encounter opportunities to give charitably in our lives in countless different ways: The Salvation Army representatives ringing a bell on the street, or the cashier asking you to donate a few dollars with your purchase, or proceeds from specific product purchases benefiting certain causes championed by related companies. Poverty affects billions of people across the world, and at least one billion children. But charitable causes involve more than just alleviating poverty. There are many facets to what makes a person or place in need of giving, and likewise many facets to giving itself.

The medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides devised a model to demonstrate the various ways people go about acts of charity, based around the concept of tzedakah. Tzedakah is sometimes interpreted as meaning “charity” though it is more closely linked to “justice” or “righteousness.” It is a moral standard to meet, as opposed to a voluntary behavior. This idea opens a new avenue for how we view acts of charity and proposes a fresh perspective to address the complexities of this issue.

Maimonides described charity with a model based around eight ideas, often referred to as a ladder. The highest rung of the ladder represents the most charitable form of giving, and the lowest rung represents the least charitable. These eight rungs offer us a model not of what charity should and shouldn’t be, necessarily, but how we can better understand what it means to be of service to others.

Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Charity

• The lowest rung: giving begrudgingly. Perhaps the least meaningful act of charity is when one gives, but unwillingly. They’d rather keep their money, resources, or time to themselves, but through some outside means, they give something. We’ve all likely encountered representatives of charities posted outside cafes or supermarkets or any area with a lot of foot traffic. They often approach people on the street, and politely requests donations to their cause. Many are so inconvenienced by this that they give their money or personal information simply in exchange for being left alone. This, while charitable, is motivated very often by selfish reasons. People don’t like to be bothered, or feel ashamed when confronted, so they give something, anything, as long as it gets them out of the awkward encounter. It’s not difficult to understand why this is considered the least righteous act on the list.
• The next rung is to give cheerfully only a little, when you could afford to give more. An example of this sort of giving could be at the supermarket, when a cashier explains how you can donate one, or three, or five dollars to a cause, and you choose the lowest option. The key to this level of the ladder is the fact that the subject can afford to give more but chooses not to. We feel as if we’ve done enough by performing the most basic and convenient acts of service to others. This form of charity is, again, driven by selfishness.
• The next two levels of the ladder go hand in hand: to give when you are asked to, and to give without having to be asked. Many ordinary people happily give to charity, but only when they are confronted about it directly. They go through their lives without charity in the forefront of their minds and need to be reminded to give. One step up is to give to the needy without needing to be reminded. But still, there is a disconnect in this level.
• Two more steps up the ladder are as follows: when one gives directly to the poor, where the receiver knows the donor, but not the other way around, and vice versa. In an explanation by Chabad.org, this has been exemplified when, “the greatest sages used to tie coins into their robes and throw them behind their backs, and the poor would come up and pick the coins out of their robes, so that they would not be ashamed.” It is considered even more charitable for a donor to give when they are anonymous to the recipient, as some sages used to leave coins at the doors of the poor people they knew in secret, if those in charge of charity could not be trusted to act uprightly.
• Next on the ladder is when a charitable person and the person or group to whom they give do not know each other at all. Total anonymity eliminates any social pressures that may often arise between parties who are known to each other and allows for genuine selflessness to shine through.
• Lastly, the highest form of charity in a model is when individuals support each other or enter into partnerships before charity is expressly necessary. To take it even further, this rung of the ladder also involves enabling another person to support themselves without outside influence. Teaching a man to fish instead of giving him a fish, if you will. According to Maimonides, we are most righteous when we empower and strengthen each other to take control over our own lives.

What We Can Learn

The heart of this model is that there are many different forms of charity in which all people engage. People of every walk of life have different circumstances and view charity in different ways. What is most important to remember regarding this model is that the only truly bad form of charity is no charity at all. Every rung on this ladder is charitable and contributes to serving others. This is even clearer if we remember that this concept is more than charity; it’s righteousness. Exercising any level of righteousness as outlined here is meaningful.

Consider the last time you acted charitably. Which step of the ladder did you act on? What can you do to act more charitably next time? We can all take some time to reflect on the ways we have or haven’t been charitable or compassionate in our lives, and devise plans for how to be better next time. Likewise, charity should not be a quality we adopt only when confronted, it should be a behavior we strive to continually embody.

Regardless of your background, Maimonides’ model for charitable giving is a worthwhile point of focus for anyone interested in how to better serve their fellow humans. To serve others is a never-ending process, one we are all always growing in. Whether you volunteer at a food pantry, travel to other countries to educate and care for underprivileged groups, or give some extra cash to a homeless person, you are engaging in righteous work.

No act of compassion is ever wasted. May we all learn to be more compassionate, with or without Maimonides’ model. Whatever you give, give with joy, and you will be making the world a brighter place for us all.