When the chips are down

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

Two of the most fascinating mitzvos in the Torah are the mitzvos of charity and loaning money without charging interest. Sometimes it is challenging to give up one’s own money to another person. “I too need MY money,” one might say. Even when considering a loan, one might ask, “Must I lend my money out without even getting interest payments in return?”

Jewish tradition maintains that everything that G-d blesses us with is given to us for a purpose. In order to be successful, some resources are meant to be kept, while others are meant to be given to others. This is similar to a carpenter who comes into a home with a hammer and nails. He knows very well that to be successful, at the end of the day, he will take his hammer with him. But he will quite intentionally leave behind the many nails that were used for the repair.

The wisdom of life is to know what to keep, and what to “invest.”

The story is told of a woman who was sitting in an airline lounge reading a book as she waited for her flight to be announced. As she read her book she munched on potato chips that were next to her in a bag. Suddenly she realized that each time she took a handful of potato chips from the bag, the person sitting next to her would do the same. She didn’t even look up from her book. She was simply astounded that someone else would take from HER bag of potato chips without asking. Still, she said nothing, although her astonishment and anger were building with each handful.

Once she was on the plane she opened her carry-on bag, and was most surprised to find that the bag of potato chips that she had bought earlier was still in her suitcase unopened. The bag that she had “shared” with that other lady- the one she had thought belonged to her- hadn’t been her’s at all.

I originally came across this story in the context of judging people favorably. The lesson of the story focused on the woman who had originally felt offended that “her” potato chips were being “stolen,” and then regretted her feelings when she realized that the bag belonged to the other person. The lesson is that sometimes we think someone is taking what belongs to us, but we don’t even know half the story.

But I believe that there is another powerful lesson that can be learned if we can focus our minds on the woman who so graciously shared her snack with the subject of the story. Why did she graciously allow her seatmate to share her own bag of chips, considering that her seatmate didn’t even ask?

Some people live their lives with absolute clarity. They know that G-d gives us many blessings in our lives. Some are meant for us to keep, while others are meant for us to use for the benefit of others.

The custom of the Jewish people is to give charity generously- to tithe one’s income- especially before the New Year. This is the season that we choose worthy Torah institutions and worthy charitable institutions to allocate the resources that were meant to be shared, before the day of judgment.

Yet, what happens if “the chips are down”? What happens if we feel that we could just as well use the money ourselves?

Certainly, if one feels stressed they should consult with their Rabbinic mentor for guidance. Perhaps special guidance or consideration is appropriate. Either way though, the Torah attitude is that Tzadakah is not an extra. Tzedakah comes from the word Tzedek / Justice, because when one gives tzedaka one is merely exercising justice. A certain amount of your assets aren’t really yours. They were given to you so that you can help others.

This is the Jewish attitude. Many of our assets aren’t really ours. They were given to us, much as the administrator of an escrow account, to help others. This is what enables us to give charity generously and to loan money interest-free, even when the “chips are down.”

© 2016 by TEACH613™