Philanthropy as a Pathway to Prosperity

Image Source: Sergey Ponomarev

 You Don’t Give Because You’re Wealthy;
You’re Wealthy Because You Give

It’s no secret that Jews are the most generous people on Earth. Though we make up just 3% of the US population, half of the 25 most generous philanthropists in America are Jews!

Some people make the mistake of thinking that only rich people can give charity. But the stunning truth is that giving charity makes us rich! Anne Frank famously said that “no one has ever become poor by giving;” Torah takes it to the next level by revealing to us the wondrous power of giving—that giving Tzedaka will make us affluent!

When describing Abraham’s extraordinary hospitality,the Torah describes how he served his guests dairy products including cheese and milk. The Torah isn’t a history book, and random information is never shared with us unless it is profoundly relevant and carries timeless lessons.

Our sages explain his choice of menu as deeply meaningful. Abraham lived in a pagan culture that scoffed at philanthropy as a sure path to poverty. He was a maverick opening his tent to welcome all travelers with unconditional love—a sight the world had never seen before.

Abraham sought to change conventional wisdom by serving his guests dairy foods. Whilst other foods are depleted through giving to others, milk is unique because it prospers through sharing! The more a mother nurses her child, the more milk she has. The less she gives her child, the quicker her milk dries up! Abraham was thus changing the world, one milkshake at a time!

Indeed, the Hebrew word for tithe—aser—is the same word as wealth—ashir. Thus the Torah promises us that, when we give a tenth of our net earnings to Tzedaka, we will draw G-d’s blessings on our bank accounts and succeed with astronomical success!

Though one might think that the more we give the less we have, the truth is that sharing with others is the greatest investment we can make for ourselves.

This theme of philanthropy as a pathway to prosperity appears again in our Torah portion this week, when we’re introduced to what is perhaps the only surviving site that is mentioned in the Torah. The Torah tells us that the cities of Sodom and Gemora were “exceedingly wicked”—these wealthy cities had laws prohibiting any form of kindness to strangers or hospitality to travelers, by pain of death. Unfortunately, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family lived there. When two angels arrive to destroy these wicked cities, they rescue Lot, his wife, and two daughters, before turning the plain into the most lifeless place on Earth—The Dead Sea.

As they escaped, the angels instructed them not to look behind them. They were being saved in the merit of Abraham, so they were unworthy of witnessing the destruction of their fellow city-dwellers. Lot’s wife was unable to contain her curiosity and turned around. As she did so, the Torah tells us that she turned into a “Pillar of Salt.” Interestingly, there is a strange Pillar of Salt on the southwestern banks of the Dead Sea that is popularly known as “Eshet Lot” (the wife of Lot). Nearby is a luxury spa hotel called the “Lot Hotel.”

Why would G-d inflict such a peculiar punishment on Lot’s poor wife? After all, she merely looked back. What’s the first thing you do when someone tells you not to look somewhere?

And why is this landmark the only one that endures to this very day.

The key to understanding this lies in the Torah’s words of how she looked back. Instead of saying that she simply looked behind, the Torah says that “she looked behind Lot.” The Midrash explains that Lot and his wife had had a great debate about hospitality and philanthropy. Lot, who was raised in the home of his righteous uncle, yearned to help others. His wife, who hailed from the wicked city of Sodom, despised it. She felt that charity was nothing more than an epic waste of hard-earned money. Her “looking behind Lot” represents her second-guessing her husband’s charitable efforts.

When the two angels arrived in Sodom the night before disguised as ordinary men, Lot was quick to shelter them in his home. When he asked his wife to serve them a meal, she gleefully asked her neighbors for some salt to feed her guests. Thus the cat was let out of the bag and a riot ensued outside their home. Many of us identify with Lot’s wife as we struggle to justify the sums that we donate to charity.

This is why G-d taught her a lesson through salt and allowed it to endure to serve as an eternal lesson for us all until this very day. On its own, salt is bitter and impossible to eat. But when mixed into other foods, it brings out the best of flavors. Even more incredible, it preserves the foods in which it is mixed, greatly extending their shelf life!

Charity needs to be redefined as a long-term investment instead of a short-term expenditure. The idea behind it is that the moment you give to others you are fulfilling G-d’s command and effectively making Him your partner! Since the Master of the Universe has yet to bounce a check, you are safe in good hands and ready for the free flow of G-d’s grace towards you!

Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai saw a certain young woman who was gathering barley from among the dung of the animals of Arabs. She

was so poor that she subsisted on the undigested barley within the dung. When she saw him, she wrapped herself in her hair, as she had nothing

else with which to cover herself, and stood before him.

She said to him: “Rebbe, support me.” He did not recognize her, so he said
to her: “My daughter, who are you?” She said to him: “I am the daughter of
Nakdimon ben Guryon.” He said to her: “My daughter, the money of your
[wealthy] father’s household, where did it go? How did you become so poor?”

She said to him: “My teacher, is it not that they say such a proverb in Jerusalem: kindness is salt [preservative] for money,” i.e., using money for acts of kindness preserves it. 

He continued to ask her: “And the money of your father-in-law’s house, which was used properly, for benevolent acts, where is it? She said to him: “This one came and destroyed that one; all the money was combined, and it was all lost together.” [her father gave less than his required obligation for Tzedaka]
(Talmud Kesubos 66b)

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. The happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more!

Countless members of our Shul have told me in different ways how supporting our Chabad center has brought them blessings they could never have envisioned. Even financially, our donors often report windfall profits that they attribute to their investment in G-d’s business!

Rabbi Dovid Vigler
Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
6100 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
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