"'Scuse me miss, do you got a dollar?".
Yes. I do 'got' a dollar. My last dollar. So I reach into my wallet and give it to her. Because she asked me. Because she probably needs it more than I do. The fact that she was not Jewish, or that there was a chance she might grab my purse didn't matter. I am used to giving charity to poor people sitting outside the Jewish stores. It is not as common to get a request for money from a random person on the street, but it does happen.
Let her use the money for drugs, or whatever it is that people accuse other people of using charity for. Maybe she needed it. Maybe she just wanted what I had. Who knows. But a dollar is a dollar and it doesn't mean a lot to me.
A dollar is not even half the fair for the bus, it won't even pay for a complete wash at the laundromat. A dollar will not buy a full meal, it will hardly get me far. It will not buy me coffee, and I don't drink coffee. It might buy a bag or two of chips, or some laffy taffys, which I can do without.
I think about my paycheck I will be getting tomorrow, and I wonder how much money I will have left over after expenses to transfer to my savings account. Should I pay my credit card now, or later? My biggest worry is trying to decide if I should use some of my savings when my checking account is running low. It is a blessing that I am financially stable and do not worry about money.
You want my dollar? Take it. Take it lady, because it breaks my heart to hear about what poor people go through, how homeless men try to take shelter from the freezing cold, and I thank G-d that I have shelter, and food, and yes, money. I may not be rich but I have more than some. And that is enough for me.
So take my dollar. Because you need it more than I do.
Did you know that many of the "poor" people at the Kotel make 1,000 shekels a day? (For a frame of reference, the average monthly salary is 8,000, but many people earn a lot less than that.) It makes me mad to think about it. On the other hand, I guess if I want to be rich, I can cover my face and sit there collecting, too. Chalilah.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a mitzva, or anything good, to give someone money if you know that they will use it for drugs or cigarettes. (I know you weren't sure she wasn't going to grab your purse; I'm talking about the principle of it.)
And, if someone is smoking (okay, you didn't mention smoking but cigarettes and drugs are the about same thing) and asking for money, I give them a dirty look and get away from them as fast as I can. I won't grace a smoker who isn't asking for money with being nice (I used to ask them to kill themselves somewhere else, not beside me or my family, now I just ask them to smoke somewhere else, and give them trouble when they refuse) - why should I stop beside his pollution and give him money to make more of it?