The microcosm of tzedakah forces one to discover the complexity of one’s own nature. One learns that in relation to another there are ambivalent predilections within oneself that never would have surfaced had one not exposed oneself to the need system of the poor. The Torah urges one not to avoid the pauper and in the process one learns not to avoid themselves. When a person grapples with their own personality in the context of an objective challenge, there is an opportunity for growth and renewal. To discover the dynamic processes inherent in oneself is to discover the possibility for hope. A person who has a static self-image is a person without hope. A person who is deeply convinced that the dramatic forces within are chances to mold their self-image anew can never lose hope. [Edited for gender neutrality]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. How does giving tzedakah affect the giver? How does it affect the recipient?
2. How is hope connected to giving?
3. How are you changed by giving tzedakah?
Time Period: Contemporary (The Yom Kippur War until the present-day)