Look What Came in the Mail...
Even in this e-mail age, I still get excited about checking my non-virtual mailbox each day.
It’s probably the combination of taking a little walk, the thrill of opening an actual envelope, and the intriguing analysis of brands who are still marketing through snail-mail, which make ‘getting the real mail’ so much fun.
Yesterday, in the mailbox I discovered something unusual. My fingers struck up against a small brown paper bag filled with coins and dollar bills, it was stapled together at the top, with one word written on it: ‘Tzedakah’. That was it, no name, no phone number, no agenda, no pomp and circumstance. Just real anonymous Jewish charity. We don’t even know who to thank for their kind contribution to ‘The Shul’.
It got me thinking of how natural it is to do acts of goodness with the anticipation of receiving something back in return, like when people are honored or recognized for their generosity and charity – all so common and perfectly normal.
But there is also something extremely refreshing about unassuming kindness. I am not only referring to unassuming charity, but also to a generally humble and sincere attitude, towards helping others across the board in a genuinely modest way.
Doing goodness without fanfare is an essential part of our Jewish DNA. It’s so touching to encounter it in real life!
King David said it best: “Who is like your people Israel?”
Have a great Shabbat and an easy fast,
Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky
sheryl k wrote...