| The Joy Of Charity | | ||
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I suppose it sounds crazy or (at best) simple-minded. How can it work that one gets rich by giving money away?
Of course, if I give away someone else's money, and I'm paid to do that, then I might get a good salary. Could it be that we have a contract with God to distribute possession of His creation and receive payment in return?
Or perhaps a subtler scenario: A wealthy man wants to give a lot of money to his son, but he knows that his son won't accept it from him. (Perhaps this is already implausible, but let's assume there is such a son.) The father hires you to pass the money on without revealing its true source. You receive a commission so that the more you give, the more you get.
So maybe that's sort of the way it is. God wants to help out all sorts of needy people, and our task is to be His middle-man. And he's guaranteed both a monetary and spiritual reward for our work.
Psychologically, if you can really give your money away - and in this way acknowledge that you actually don't need it - then when you receive any amount more, you'll know that you have more than you need. You're rich!
From a metaphysical point of view -
consider the meaning of justice from a divine perspective.
Whatever it is, it must define the ultimate nature of the world -
that which guarantees that creation will fulfill the purpose for which it was created.
One way of expressing that purpose (as revealed in wisdom literature) is that the world was created in order that God could give of Himself -
in other words, in order to spread His wealth.
Now consider the following attribute of creation that would make that work:
The more any element of creation is open to receive from God and pass it on,
the more it receives.
As is said in the homiletic teachings on Leviticus (Vayikra Raba 34,9):
"This world is like a wheel for drawing water at a well. The full (pail) empties and the empty (pail) fills."
The idea that God helps the poor and downtrodden
is just an expression of this metaphysical principle in God's personal aspect.
And it makes sense that the one way we are invited to test God is
to activate this most fundamental principle.
The more we give, the more we get.
Naturally, we all have some serious questions regarding whether there really is justice in the world. And how come...? Even without the holocaust, there is no lack of horrors in the world. And then there's the whole story of Job to contend with. It's really good to ask these questions and to look for answers. But again, tithing income is the only way we are permitted, and even invited, to test God by confirming experientially the aforementioned metaphysical principle. So learn how it's done, and try it out.
| The Joy Of Charity | | ||
| new material | www.joyoflife.org.il | about this site | ||