Wealth and Poverty

judaism


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The great twelfth century Rabbi Moses Maimonides devised a table of eight degrees of charitable giving which are as follows:

  1. Giving money grudgingly.
  2. Giving less than you can afford but kindly.
  3. Giving only because someone has asked you.
  4. Giving to a poor person before they ask.
  5. Giving money to a poor person that doesn't know you.
  6. Giving so the poor person does not know the giver.
  7. Giving in a completely anonymous way, so the giver does not know who will receive the money and the recipient does not know who donated.
  8. Helping set the person up in a job so they will never be dependent on charity again.

Here are a number of situations. Which level of charitable giving does each one correspond to?

  • You receive an appeal to give charity to a disaster appeal.
  • Buying a copy of "The Big Issue".
  • Taking an unemployed businessman as a partner in your business.
  • You are asked for 50p by a man in the street.
  • You throw a £1 coin into a busker's hat.
  • A refugee is sent to Social security and the Job Centre for advice.