"Whoever has an opportunity to perform an act of tzedakah (charity or kindness) and does not perform it, or whoever has an opportunity to save another person and does not, causes himself to die."
Danny Gordis, in his book "God Was Not in the Fire," writes that, "It is unlikely that the rabbi who composed that adage meant to imply that such a person would literally die. Rather, his point seems to have been that ignoring the plights of other people erodes a person's humanity, causing his or her 'spiritual death.'" (p.195)
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What is your understanding of Gordis' insight?
2. What does a "spiritual death" consist of? What are the boundaries to this statement: how un-charitable can a person be before being subject to a so-called spiritual death?
3. Does this adage give you a deeper understanding of the relationship between faith and activism?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)