I heard a great story today. As a way of showing his gratitude for and of giving back to the community in which he does business, a printer in Los Gatos, ProColor, decided to print free signs for any business in the town. Word got out, and he found himself with a volunteer wanting to help. Additionally, and more amazingly, a printer in Palo Alto, a town 45 minutes away, heard the story and decided to take his lead and do the same thing. The paper supplier offered the printer first printer a great deal on the paper as his way of helping out as well.
Why did the printer decide to do this? As a way to “pay it forward.” To do a good deed. To help someone out.
In Judaism, that’s what , or what we often translate as “charity,” is all about. The Hebrew world really means “righteous” or a “righteous act.” It’s doing the right thing.
Why don’t we all simply do the right thing more often? Why don’t we give unconditionally? Why don’t we lend a hand to those in need?
Are we afraid we won’t have enough? Are we afraid we’ll get hurt? Are we afraid we won’t get something in return?
How do we get beyond these fears and become tzadikim, righteous people? I think, first, we have to learn to move beyond our fears. Second, we have to move beyond our baser instincts, the part of ourselves that wants to look out for Number 1. Humans’ have that tendency, and it helps us survive individually but not collectively.
When we lived in small tribes and clans, we had to think collectively. We all depended upon one another for survival. Today, we think we don’t need anyone else at all; we think we can get along on our own. In truth, we have to think collectively now more than ever. We have to take care of each other, and we have to take care of the environment in which we live-Earth. If we don’t all reach out and help each other, as well as looking around at our greater “home” and try to make it a better place for everyone, we all may not survive.
I often listen to teleseminars by a publicist named Annie Jennings, of Annie Jennings PR. Her company slogan is “for the betterment of all.” She even encourages people to take her slogan and use it themselves. I suggest we all take it and make it our own, for if we all acted with the consciousness of doing things for the betterment of all, we would constantly be paying it forward-but we wouldn’t expect anything in return and the next person doing the right thing would be doing so as a given not as a surprising act.
That’s the core teaching of Kabbalah. We’re told to become givers-unconditional givers. Imagine a world of givers. Imagine…
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