This post is part of a weekly series on the Nishmablog presenting the questions to which he responded and the answers that he gave.
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Question: I have several regular charities I give to, but this year I am unable to keep up my level of giving due to salary cuts. Is it better for me to cut out a few charities, or to reduce or minimize my level of giving to all of them?
Rabbi Wolpoe's answer
I have several regular charities I give to, but this year I am unable to keep up my level of giving due to salary cuts. Is it better for me to cut out a few charities, or to reduce or minimize my level of giving to all of them?
Let's see
"Charity" works on several levels
1. Most obviously the good it does for the recipient(s)
2 Less obviously: the good it does for the donor.
In terms of doing more Mitzvot and Kindness - giving $1 one hundred times will impact one's psyche more profoundly than writing one single check for $100. Imagine walking one mile a day versus running 7 miles once a week. A daily ritual is usually more beneficial
Jewish Literature on this is vast. EG when gifting a Kohein [Priest] one should NOT spread it around too much. Rather any gift must have its own significant amount Re: Purim we have a Dichotomy. Namely:
A One extravagant set of Manot to one dear friend seems to trump many modest offerings.
B. OTOH, when gifting the poor, many small donations trump one big one. In fact one is obligated to "spread the wealth around" to a minimum of Two Indigent people.
It seems therefore it all depends upon the donor's ability
EG if a donor gives EG $20 to 20 charities, reducing each one in half makes a lot of sense - though less dollars
However, if many of the donations are modest to begin with [and that is subjective] I would suggest suspending those until "Happier Days are Here Again"
I would suggest that if one has a "dearest" charity, to try to preserve one's level at the expense of the others.
Shalom< RRW
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