Jewish Karma
So there I was, sitting in synagogue for the Shacharit morning prayer service earlier this month, when I noticed him out of the corner of my eye. He was collecting for a Jewish institution in Israel. I recognized him; he comes around every summer.
I was going to preempt his solicitation and approach him with a donation of a few dollars cash which I had in my pocket (yes, this stuff goes on every day in synagogues). But then I remembered that when he had come to solicit me at my home last year, he made it very difficult to get away with just a few dollars. Thus I feared that if I'd try to approach him and slip him a few bucks, he'd ask for an appointment to come to my house for a larger gift.
A debate raged in my head. One silent voice told me that I am already overextended in my charitable givings this month and don't have enough budgeted for a larger donation at this time, and that I should simply slip out of the sanctuary before he can buttonhole me. The other voice told me to give him a more sizable gift. Guess what I did? I slipped out of the sanctuary and finished up the prayers in a side room.
That evening I had a meeting with the trustees of a foundation that supports JFX generously each year. Thank G-d, JFX continues to grow, and I felt compelled to make a pitch for an increased donation. I did my homework, made the presentation, and judging by the way the trustees were nodding along, I was confident that my request for an increase would be granted.
Guess what happened? It was denied. I was really surprised. The trustees had seemed to be buying into our JFX mission and into my request for an increased gift. However a thought then occurred to me as I recalled what had happened earlier that same morning at the synagogue.
One of the most fundamental components of the Jewish faith is the belief in hashgacha pratis, divine providence. Hashem acts as our shadow, mirroring and reflecting our actions back at us. The more generosity we put out into the world, the more we will receive in our time of need. Jewish karma, if you will.
Unfortunately, the opposite can happen as well. If we shirk our responsibility by hiding in the side room, it might just boomerang back at us. Perhaps that is why my request was turned down. Perhaps not. I'll never really know. But, it did sharpen my sensitivities in this area. I hope that I've learned to stretch myself and do more.
How do we know when we've done enough and when we need to do more? That's the $64,000 question. But I think a good rule to follow is that it's like working out at the gym. We should feel the burn. There will be internal resistance, and that's a good thing. It has to hurt a bit, just enough to make us grow. If it's too easy, you might want to check your karma.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Koval
