Lessons on Tzedakah from The Sanzer Rav

Sometimes we are more concerned with not being duped than we are with ensuring that we achieve the right goal. Perhaps it’s okay to be naively taken advantage of a little bit if it helps ensure that we don’t harden our hearts.

The Sanzer Rav, a Hassidic leader in Galicia (on the border of modern Poland and Ukraine) in the 19th century, was reputedly so committed to helping the poor that he would not rest each day until every last penny he owned was distributed to those in need. During Sukkot, he would not only give all his money to the poor, but “>Chip and Dan Heath's Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, looking at why some college students donated to a canned-food drive and others did not. The researchers divided students into two groups: the students most likely to donate (“saints”), and those least likely to contribute (“jerks”). Then they tried to see whether the approach might affect the likelihood that even some “jerks” might contribute. Some “saints” and “jerks” randomly received a general advertising letter asking for donations for the food drive coming up the following week. Others received a more detailed letter with a specific request, a specific location, and a suggestion on when they should bring it. Students who were given the ambiguous letter did not donate much: Only 8 percent of “the “saints” gave and none of “the “jerks” gave. However, when given a letter with specific instructions, not only did 42 percent of the “saints” donate but also a whopping 25 percent of the “jerks.” Changing the situation and helping others to lead to big results! As the authors of Switch explain ““>Uri L'Tzedek, the Founder and CEO of “>Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century.” Newsweek named