Maimonides' Ladder

Ever heard of Moses Maimonides? He was a medieval Jewish philosopher who thought a lot about tzedakah, which means "righteous giving." We think of giving as something that is always good, but he developed a ladder of giving. Maimonides realized that some forms of giving -- like giving out of obligation -- are not as virtuous as others.

On Maimonides' Ladder, the highest rung of giving is this: "One who assists a poor person by providing him with a gift or a loan or by accepting him into a business partnership or by helping him find employment -- in a word, by putting him in a situation where he can dispense with other people's aid."

Several centuries later, many of us seem to be getting Maimonides' message. (It was Jesus' message too, by the way.)

President Obama this week signed a new policy directive on Global Development, which changes the way the U.S. will provide foreign aid to developing nations. Instead of simply handing out assistance to many different countries, the focus will be on developing sustainable capacity in fewer nations where greater impact is possible. This initiative is supported by our mission partner Bread for the World.

Closer to home, our OPRF Food Pantry is changing its delivery method. I attended a training today to introduce "Client Choice." The hundreds of people who visit our pantry each month will now be able to shop for what they want, rather than being handed a sack of pre-selected groceries. A nutritionist will be present to offer recipes and cooking advice so that pantry items can be prepared with more nutritional value. This empowers our neighbors, as we work in partnership with them.

And our Faith in Action committee is exploring the possibility of providing microloans to clients of the Walk-In Ministry, to enable them to purchase equipment or training so that they can get a job and no longer need assistance. Yesterday we hosted a clergy workshop at First United, and we reflected on ways to serve those who are impoverished. Every pastor described their frustration in finding effective methods of responding to people's needs, without deepening their dependency.

Sometimes it all comes together. We yearn for a day when other nations will not need U.S. aid, but will flourish by their own strength. We long for a day when we will no longer need a food pantry in our community. We hope for a day when 10 percent unemployment will be a distant memory. We work for a day when hunger will not be a daily reality for 41 million Americans.

Thanks, Maimonides. We're ready to climb the ladder, together, with faith.