GENEROSITY | NEDIVUT | נדיבות
PHRASE/SLOGAN
Sustain others and yourself by being generous
Love flows in the direction of giving
Draw close to the o/Other through offerings
Give even when you don't feel like it in the moment
Give in order to want to give more
Tzedakah without a generous heart is tzedakah but not generosity
Patience is generous
Sharing your wisdom is generous
Generously bear the burden of others
Generously tolerate insults, refrain from revenge, and keep giving
Before you were conscious you were indebted with preexisting obligations to the other(s) who brought you into creation
Your satisfaction is not yours but an expression of God's generosity
Love flows in the direction of giving
Draw close to the o/Other through offerings
Give even when you don't feel like it in the moment
Give in order to want to give more
Tzedakah without a generous heart is tzedakah but not generosity
Patience is generous
Sharing your wisdom is generous
Generously bear the burden of others
Generously tolerate insults, refrain from revenge, and keep giving
Before you were conscious you were indebted with preexisting obligations to the other(s) who brought you into creation
Your satisfaction is not yours but an expression of God's generosity
SOUL TRAIT (MIDDAH) SPECTRUM
ETYMOLOGY
Nedivut / נדיבות
- generosity
- from nadiv / נדיב, willing, voluntary; liberal, generous, noble-minded
- root - נדב
- to incite, impel
- willing, did willingly
- freely offered
- gave willingly, donated
- volunteered
- offered free will offerings
- associate freely
- contribution, gift
- priestly dues; contribution to be set apart for priests
- contribution for the Tabernacle
- choice, best part
- separation, removal
- exaltation, lift up
- nedivut halev, generosity of the heart
- righteousness, justice
- deliverance, victory
- merit
- alms, charity
- right doing
- sacrifice
- root - קרב
- draw near or close
TORAH
דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃
Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him.
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.
קְח֨וּ מֵֽאִתְּכֶ֤ם תְּרוּמָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה כֹּ֚ל נְדִ֣יב לִבּ֔וֹ יְבִיאֶ֕הָ אֵ֖ת תְּרוּמַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃
Take from among you gifts to YHVH; everyone whose heart so moves him shall bring them—gifts for the Eternal: gold, silver, and copper;
כִּֽי־יִהְיֶה֩ בְךָ֨ אֶבְי֜וֹן מֵאַחַ֤ד אַחֶ֙יךָ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּאַ֨רְצְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹ֧א תְאַמֵּ֣ץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֗ וְלֹ֤א תִקְפֹּץ֙ אֶת־יָ֣דְךָ֔ מֵאָחִ֖יךָ הָאֶבְיֽוֹן׃
If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman.
כִּֽי־פָתֹ֧חַ תִּפְתַּ֛ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֖ ל֑וֹ וְהַעֲבֵט֙ תַּעֲבִיטֶ֔נּוּ דֵּ֚י מַחְסֹר֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֶחְסַ֖ר לֽוֹ׃
Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs.
MUSSAR
הָשִׁ֣יבָה לִּ֭י שְׂשׂ֣וֹן יִשְׁעֶ֑ךָ וְר֖וּחַ נְדִיבָ֣ה תִסְמְכֵֽנִי׃
Let me again rejoice in Your help; let a vigorous spirit sustain me.
Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler, in B. H. Block (Ed.), The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life (2019)
This verse can be understood two ways. Either we receive, and therefore someone else’s generous spirit sustains us; or we give, and our own acts of generosity make our life worthwhile. Either way, “a generous spirit sustains me." (T’rumah: N’divut—Generosity: “Let a Generous Spirit Sustain Me”)
This verse can be understood two ways. Either we receive, and therefore someone else’s generous spirit sustains us; or we give, and our own acts of generosity make our life worthwhile. Either way, “a generous spirit sustains me." (T’rumah: N’divut—Generosity: “Let a Generous Spirit Sustain Me”)
Dr. Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar (2007)
It may seem strange to practice generosity in order to do work on your own heart. That might even seem somehow to undermine the very quality of generosity itself, since the intention also involves a reward to the giver. Therein lies some of the magic of generosity. It rewards all. In Hebrew, the phrase “and they shall give”—v’natnu—is spelled vav-nun-tavnun-vav. That’s a palindrome, a word that is spelled the same way whether you read it left to right or right to left. Such is the flow of generosity. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
It may seem strange to practice generosity in order to do work on your own heart. That might even seem somehow to undermine the very quality of generosity itself, since the intention also involves a reward to the giver. Therein lies some of the magic of generosity. It rewards all. In Hebrew, the phrase “and they shall give”—v’natnu—is spelled vav-nun-tavnun-vav. That’s a palindrome, a word that is spelled the same way whether you read it left to right or right to left. Such is the flow of generosity. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
Rabbi Yair Robinson, in B. H. Block (Ed.), The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life (2019)
My satisfaction is not, at the end of the day, my own, but an expression of God’s generosity . . . (Eikev: N’divut—Generosity: Inseparable from Hakarat HaTov [Gratitude])
My satisfaction is not, at the end of the day, my own, but an expression of God’s generosity . . . (Eikev: N’divut—Generosity: Inseparable from Hakarat HaTov [Gratitude])
Rabbi Yair Robinson, in B. H. Block (Ed.), The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life (2019)
Rabbi Ira Stone, in his commentary on M’silat Yesharim, elaborates:
Ramchal traces the source of gratitude to the fact that we are neither responsible for our own creation nor for the good that accrues to us by virtue of our creation. Another brings us into creation . . . and another provides for whatever is good in our being, from physical nourishment to emotional sustenance. Gratitude for these gifts is an obligating realization; we are indebted before we are even conscious. This indebtedness is fundamental to Mussar in particular and to Judaic thought more generally, and the centrality of mitzvot derives from it. Contrary to the philosophic idea of free will, the Mussar concept of freedom is played out on a field of preexisting obligations.
In other words, to receive in gratitude obligates us to generosity, knowing that we cannot reciprocate. Just as we cannot repay our parents for bringing us into the world, there is no way to recompense God for divine sustenance. (Eikev: N’divut—Generosity: Inseparable from Hakarat HaTov [Gratitude])
Rabbi Ira Stone, in his commentary on M’silat Yesharim, elaborates:
Ramchal traces the source of gratitude to the fact that we are neither responsible for our own creation nor for the good that accrues to us by virtue of our creation. Another brings us into creation . . . and another provides for whatever is good in our being, from physical nourishment to emotional sustenance. Gratitude for these gifts is an obligating realization; we are indebted before we are even conscious. This indebtedness is fundamental to Mussar in particular and to Judaic thought more generally, and the centrality of mitzvot derives from it. Contrary to the philosophic idea of free will, the Mussar concept of freedom is played out on a field of preexisting obligations.
In other words, to receive in gratitude obligates us to generosity, knowing that we cannot reciprocate. Just as we cannot repay our parents for bringing us into the world, there is no way to recompense God for divine sustenance. (Eikev: N’divut—Generosity: Inseparable from Hakarat HaTov [Gratitude])
Drs. Chritopher Peterson & Martin E. P. Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (2004)
Kindness, generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, and altruistic love are a network of closely related terms indicating a common orientation of the self toward the other. This orientation can be contrasted with solipsism, in which the self relates to others only insofar as they contribute to his or her agenda and are therefore considered useful. Kindness and altruistic love require the assertion of a common humanity in which others are worthy of attention and affirmation for no utilitarian reasons but for their own sake. The affective or emotional ground of such kindness distinguishes it from a merely dutiful or principle-based respect for other persons. Such affective states are expected to give rise to helping behaviors that are not based on an assurance of reciprocity, reputational gain, or any other benefits to self, although such benefits may emerge and need not be resisted. (p. 326)
Kindness, generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, and altruistic love are a network of closely related terms indicating a common orientation of the self toward the other. This orientation can be contrasted with solipsism, in which the self relates to others only insofar as they contribute to his or her agenda and are therefore considered useful. Kindness and altruistic love require the assertion of a common humanity in which others are worthy of attention and affirmation for no utilitarian reasons but for their own sake. The affective or emotional ground of such kindness distinguishes it from a merely dutiful or principle-based respect for other persons. Such affective states are expected to give rise to helping behaviors that are not based on an assurance of reciprocity, reputational gain, or any other benefits to self, although such benefits may emerge and need not be resisted. (p. 326)
Dr. Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar (2007)
The human heart is naturally inclined to give. Caring comes easily to that organ, but it is able to act on that inclination only when it is open. That isn’t always the heart’s condition. When our hearts are closed or walled off, we are suffering from a spiritual ailment that the Mussar teachers call timtum ha’lev, meaning a blocked or barricaded heart—literally, a stopped-up heart. Instead of being open, flowing, and generous, we are sluggish, constipated, and unwilling at our core. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
The human heart is naturally inclined to give. Caring comes easily to that organ, but it is able to act on that inclination only when it is open. That isn’t always the heart’s condition. When our hearts are closed or walled off, we are suffering from a spiritual ailment that the Mussar teachers call timtum ha’lev, meaning a blocked or barricaded heart—literally, a stopped-up heart. Instead of being open, flowing, and generous, we are sluggish, constipated, and unwilling at our core. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
Dr. Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar (2007)
A total denial of self is a transmutation of a total concern for self and a backhanded and contorted way of serving self. It is egotism dressed in the guise of humility and generosity. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
A total denial of self is a transmutation of a total concern for self and a backhanded and contorted way of serving self. It is egotism dressed in the guise of humility and generosity. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
הא' - מי אל כמוך - מוֹרֶה עַל הֱיוֹת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֶלֶךְ נֶעֱלַב, סוֹבֵל עֶלְבּוֹן מַה שֶׁלֹּא יְכִילֵהוּ רַעְיוֹן. הֲרֵי אֵין דָּבָר נִסְתָּר מֵהַשְׁגָּחָתוֹ בְּלִי סָפֵק, וְעוֹד אֵין רֶגַע שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה הָאָדָם נִזּוֹן וּמִתְקַיֵּם מִכֹּחַ עֶלְיוֹן הַשּׁוֹפֵעַ עָלָיו, וַהֲרֵי תִּמְצָא שֶׁמֵּעוֹלָם לֹא חָטָא אָדָם נֶגְדּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה הוּא בְּאוֹתוֹ הָרֶגַע מַמָּשׁ שׁוֹפֵעַ שֶׁפַע קִיּוּמוֹ וּתְנוּעַת אֵבָרָיו, עִם הֱיוֹת שֶׁהָאָדָם חֹטֵא בַכֹּחַ הַהוּא לֹא מְנָעוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ כְּלָל אֶלָּא סוֹבֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֶלְבּוֹן כָּזֶה לִהְיוֹת מַשְׁפִּיעַ בּוֹ כֹּחַ תְּנוּעוֹת אֵבָרָיו, וְהוּא מוֹצִיא אוֹתוֹ כֹּחַ בְּאוֹתוֹ רֶגַע בְּחֵטְא וְעָוֹן וּמַכְעִיס וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא סוֹבֵל. וְלֹא תֹאמַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִמְנוֹעַ מִמֶּנּוּ הַטּוֹב הַהוּא ח"ו שֶׁהֲרֵי בְכֹחוֹ בְּרֶגַע כְּמֵימְרָא לְיַבֵּשׁ יָדָיו וְרַגְלָיו כְּעֵין שֶׁעָשָׂה לְיָרָבְעָם, וְעִם כָּל זֹאת שֶׁהַכֹּחַ בְּיָדוֹ לְהַחְזִיר הַכֹּחַ הַנִּשְׁפָּע הַהוּא וְהָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר כֵּיוָן שֶׁאַתָּה חֹטֵא נֶגְדִּי תֶּחֱטָא בְּשֶׁלְּךָ לֹא בְשֶׁלִּי, לֹא מִפְּנֵי זֶה מָנַע טוּבוֹ מִן הָאָדָם אֶלָּא סָבַל עֶלְבּוֹן, וְהִשְׁפִּיעַ הַכֹּחַ וְהֵטִיב לְאָדָם טוּבוֹ. הֲרֵי זֶה עֶלְבּוֹן וְסַבְלָנוּת מַה שֶׁלֹּא יְסֻפָּר וְעַל זֶה קוֹרְאִים מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֶלֶךְ עָלוּב וְהַיְנוּ אוֹמְרוֹ מִי אֵל כָּמוֹךָ, אַתָּה אֵל בַּעַל חֶסֶד הַמֵּטִיב, אֵל בַּעַל כֹּחַ לִנְקֹם וְלֶאֱסֹף אֶת שֶׁלְּךָ, וְעִם כָּל זֹאת אַתָּה סוֹבֵל וְנֶעֱלָב עַד יָשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה.
The First: "Who is a power like You" instructs about the Holy One, blessed be He, being an insulted King [that] tolerates insult that is inconceivable. Behold, nothing is hidden from His oversight, without a doubt, and [yet] there is no moment when a person is not nourished and preserved by the Highest force that flows upon him; and behold, you find that there was never a person who sinned against God, without Him - at that very instant - [willing] the flow of his existence and the movement of his limbs. While this person sins with that force, He does not withhold it from him at all. Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, tolerates such an insult - to flow the power for the movement of his limbs into the person, and the person [uses] that power at that moment for sin and iniquity, and [to] anger [Him]; and the Holy One, blessed be He, tolerates [it]. And you [should] not say that He is not able to withhold this goodness from him - God forbid. As behold, it is in His power to make his arms and legs rigid instantly, like His word - similar to what He did to Yerovam (I Kings 13:4). And even with all this, that He has the power in His hand to withdraw that flowing force, and He could have said, "Since you sin against Me, sin with your own [strength], not with Mine" - He does not withhold good from a person for this. Instead, He tolerates the insult, flows the force [to do this] and gives the person of His goodness. Behold, this is insult and [its] toleration that cannot be told. And for this, the ministering angels call the Holy One, blessed be He, the insulted King. And this is [the meaning of] its stating, "Who is a power like You" - You are a Power that is a Master of Kindness that benefits, a Power that is a Master of strength to take revenge and take back what is Yours; and with all that, You tolerate [it] and are insulted until [the person] repents.
Dr. Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar (2007)
Do you give to the ones you love, or do you love the ones to whom you give?
The principle is that giving arouses the heart to love. By obligating ourselves to give according to rules and formula, we expose our hearts to repetitive acts of giving that leave their trace on our inner lives. The very act of giving itself ultimately makes us more charitable, merciful, and loving.
We don’t have to wait until our hearts are fully open and infused with natural generosity before we begin to give. To the contrary, acts of generosity awaken love and foster the soul-trait of generosity. The Mussar tradition’s guidance is this: by accustoming yourself to giving, and developing the habit of giving, eventually your heart will catch up and you will become more generous and loving by nature.
If you permit yourself to give only when you are moved by genuine feelings of generosity, you will suffer a loss. To be generous only when you are inspired serves effectively (if inadvertently) to maintain intact all the interior factors that inhibit your generosity. The fears and attachments that bind your heart and that keep your hand from opening go unchallenged. The result is that you do nothing to cultivate the loving-kindness that is the engine of generosity. Your heart, your life, and our world are poorer for that. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
Do you give to the ones you love, or do you love the ones to whom you give?
The principle is that giving arouses the heart to love. By obligating ourselves to give according to rules and formula, we expose our hearts to repetitive acts of giving that leave their trace on our inner lives. The very act of giving itself ultimately makes us more charitable, merciful, and loving.
We don’t have to wait until our hearts are fully open and infused with natural generosity before we begin to give. To the contrary, acts of generosity awaken love and foster the soul-trait of generosity. The Mussar tradition’s guidance is this: by accustoming yourself to giving, and developing the habit of giving, eventually your heart will catch up and you will become more generous and loving by nature.
If you permit yourself to give only when you are moved by genuine feelings of generosity, you will suffer a loss. To be generous only when you are inspired serves effectively (if inadvertently) to maintain intact all the interior factors that inhibit your generosity. The fears and attachments that bind your heart and that keep your hand from opening go unchallenged. The result is that you do nothing to cultivate the loving-kindness that is the engine of generosity. Your heart, your life, and our world are poorer for that. (Chp. 17: Generosity)
אם חפץ אתה להדבק באהבת חבירך. הוי נושא ונותן בטובתו.
If you desire to secure your fellow’s love, concern yourself with his welfare [If you want to bond yourself to loving your friend, give to him for his benefit].
וְהַכֹּל לְפִי רֹב הַמַּעֲשֶׂה:
And everything is in accordance with the preponderance of works.
Rabbi David Jaffe, in B. H. Block (Ed.), The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life (2019)
This same interplay of responsibility and open-hearted giving is a feature of many healthy human relationships. Strong relationships cannot rely only on freewill desire to give and connect. Such relationships, while feeling good in the moment, are undependable. I want to know that good friends feel committed to me and that they do not base their involvement in the relationship only on how they feel in the moment. On the other hand, relationships must be more than just obligations.
Think of relationships you are in that feel like obligations. You do what is necessary—make the phone call, show up for certain events—but an important life-force is missing from those relationships. Do you want to be treated as an obligation? How does that feel? Ideally, a good relationship is built on both—a sense of obligation that binds you to the other person, and the free will to want to be in the relationship and get closer with each interaction. We can apply the same principle to friends and to more intimate relationships with our partners, children, and even parents. (Vayikra: N’divut—Generosity: Giving Away, Bringing Close)
This same interplay of responsibility and open-hearted giving is a feature of many healthy human relationships. Strong relationships cannot rely only on freewill desire to give and connect. Such relationships, while feeling good in the moment, are undependable. I want to know that good friends feel committed to me and that they do not base their involvement in the relationship only on how they feel in the moment. On the other hand, relationships must be more than just obligations.
Think of relationships you are in that feel like obligations. You do what is necessary—make the phone call, show up for certain events—but an important life-force is missing from those relationships. Do you want to be treated as an obligation? How does that feel? Ideally, a good relationship is built on both—a sense of obligation that binds you to the other person, and the free will to want to be in the relationship and get closer with each interaction. We can apply the same principle to friends and to more intimate relationships with our partners, children, and even parents. (Vayikra: N’divut—Generosity: Giving Away, Bringing Close)