GIVING IS LIKE MUSCLE-BUILDING — the more it’s done, the more it becomes second nature. That’s the principle at the heart of the message from 12th century scholar and philosopher Rambam (Maimonides). Your family can strengthen its giving behavior, or tzedakah (from the Hebrew word meaning righteousness, fairness, or justice), by establishing routine habits and creating ongoing opportunities.
STRENGTHENING GIVING BEHAVIOR
If you had $100 to give away, would be it better to give that lump sum to a single person or to divvy it up and give $1 to 100 different people? Rambam (Maimonides) says the latter option is ideal because the act of repeated giving turns generosity into a habit. By continually fostering a spirit of generosity, more giving will ultimate result. He writes:
“If a person gives 1,000 coins at one time and to one person, this is secondary to the one who gives 1,000 times with 1,000 coins … for the latter case multiplies the spirit of generosity 1,000 times over, while giving just once will arouse awaken the spirit of generosity once, and then it ends.”
(Commentary to Mishnah Avot 3:15)
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