Charitable Thoughts

Mitt Romney is very rich. This is well known. He also gives a staggering amount of charity. In 2010 and 2011, he donated $7 million to charity, or around 16 percent of his income. Mormons are supposed to tithe, or give 10 percent of their income to charity. Romney went beyond even those generous guidelines. Not that he’s suffering personally, what with being a multimillionaire and all. But still. Not every rich person feels compelled to donate so much of their money.

With his relatively high level of giving, Romney embodies one of Judaism’s core values: Charity. Giving to others is one of our important mitzvot. The Torah speaks very explicitly about charity. In Leviticus, God tells the Jews that if one among them should become poor, his brother Jews must support him, even allowing the destitute to live with them. Later, in Deuteronomy, God commands the Jewish people to support their needy brethren as much as the person needs. Though not a Jewish saying, the concept of “charity begins at home” is implied in these mitzvot—your primary obligation is to your family, congregation and community.

The Rambam (Maimonides) lists eight levels of charity, with each level considered greater than the one before. At the bottom of the list (but considered charity nonetheless), is someone who gives begrudgingly. The highest level is someone who supports a fellow Jew by giving him a job, so that he is no longer dependent on charity.

As we look at modern givers across the spectrum, there are four distinct types of giving: “Normal,” “Nice,” “Giver” and “Philanthropist.”

Normal: Let’s acknowledge that giving away your money is not a normal thing to do. Rich or not so rich, it’s natural to feel, “I worked hard for this money, I want to keep it!” A normal person might even make enough to have some “extra” left over. But saving for retirement or some future unknown catastrophe should be ranked above charity.

It is the most normal thing to do to keep our money. So—why do we give?

Nice: I think the first reason people give is because they are nice. We buy Girl Scout cookies, contribute to our synagogue’s building fund and help out local food banks. Nice people may even donate to other causes they feel connected to—a tsunami fund or Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services. These charitable donations are not necessarily planned out, but when something happens, we open our pockets. We do it because we like being part of a community.

But that still doesn’t explain why Mitt Romney would give away 16 percent of his income.

Givers: A giver has a plan and is committed to a cause. For example, a breast cancer survivor becomes committed to causes and organizations dedicated to breast cancer patients and research. Religious people, such as Romney, often donate heavily to their church or synagogue. A giver’s giving is not reactionary, but planned and thought-out.

Philanthropist: Though the word is often synonymous with “big bucks,” being a philanthropist is about more than donating a lot of money. Philanthropists, such as Bill Gates, have thought long and hard about what their core values are, and they want their giving to align with those values. They are usually very involved with their organization beyond donating money. Philanthropists use their time and money to think, to plan, how they can impact the world and leave it a little bit better.

Philanthropy is, essentially, Rambam’s eighth level: Not just giving tzedakah, but doing so in a well-thought out way, in a way that will enrich and better the lives of its recipients.

In Judaism, we believe in the idea of “hiddur mitzvah,” taking the commandment and doing our utmost to “beautify” it. We buy a beautiful menorah for Chanukah. We spend time picking out an etrog that is just the right heft and shade of yellow.

And “hiddur mitzvah” applies to tzedakah as well. The more we are involved in thinking and preparing and planning how our tzedakah money can make the most impact, the more powerful our tzedakah becomes.