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Ronn Torossian

Give Charity – Regardless Of The Levels of Giving

One of the greatest elements of Judaism is compassion. And foremost about how religion is the need to give Tzedkah (charity) in order to help others and help people. There is indeed a commandment that everyone should give – and indeed helping makes everyone’s lives that much better.

Maimonides, a 12th century scholar and physician offered the world a handy reference on the subject of charity. Also known by his acronym, Rambam, Maimonides listed the various categories of charity according to references from the Talmud. These categories were arranged by the Rambam according to ascending levels of merit.

One can learn a great deal about the act of giving charity – and life in general – by reviewing this list. We learn that purity of purpose matters – and isn’t that indeed the case for many things of life.

Maimonides described eight levels of charity, and indeed they are  meaningful as they were 9 centuries ago:

8.Giving while begrudging the act

7. Giving less than you can but happily

6. Giving in response to a request

5. Giving before the request is made

4. Giving  where the identity of the recipient is unknown to you but your identity is known to the recipient

3. Giving in the case where you know the identity of the recipient but your identity is unknown to him or her

2. Giving in complete anonymity in which neither party knows the identity of the other

1. Helping the needy person to become self-sufficient so that charity is no longer needed

Did you think about giving to charity before the holiday, before those envelopes arrived asking for your help? That would be level number 5. Going further up the ladder would be a car donation to Kars For Kids or donating clothes (even during Passover cleaning) to the Salvation Army.

The best type of charity is not to give charity at all, but rather to enable the person to lose his state of neediness. The old adage about teaching a man to fish – well it’s all true.

I believe that the more I donate, the more funds I will make. Donation and charity is a fundamental component to success. Donate and succeed.  Each one of us has a unique obligation to give charity – whether in money, time or other means.

About the Author
Ronn Torossian is the Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of 5WPR. Headquartered in New York City, the firm is one of the 25 largest independent public relations firms in the United States. 5WPR has been named “PR Agency of the Year” by the American Business Awards; and Ronn Torossian is the winner of the Silver Stevie Communications, Investor Relations, and PR Executive of the Year of the Year Award by the American Business Awards. Ronn’s book, “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations,” received rave reviews. He is a member of the prestigious Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and is an active board member of a number of non-profit organizations. Ronn Torossian is a frequently sought after communications expert, often appearing on FOX News, CNBC, Huffington Post, Time Magazine, and other major media outlets. He resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his family. Email: rtorossian@5wpr.com Facebook: Ronn's Facebook Twitter: Ronn's Twitter Page