The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-02-16
Charity OF the Jews


and satisfy the Afflicted soul, delicate
as was the charity of a Boaz who
guarded Ruth in her gleanings from
all humiliation, these ideals became
reality, and the tact of the individual
became the standard OF the masses In
those traditions which governed popu-
lar practice. Many were the people
who would never sit down 10 any
meal which was not shared by some
poorer brother, for the Sabbath meals
especially the poor man was the well
come guest at the table Of his more
prosperous brother, until needy" and
guest" became synonyms. Nor was
it the welEto-do only who deemed 1t
their privilege TO exercise this noble
hospitality; but, as the great Rabbi
Akiba had shared his wretched pallet
OF straw with those still poorer than
himself, so it was ever the prId0 OF
the poor to do acts of charity even
from the little they had
In charity it is the heart tha* IL
lumines. And thus it is but what we
might expect that many of our mod
ern problems should have been antici-
pated and, in a measure, solved by
the earnest sincerity of those who
looked upon charity as no mere physi-
cal relief, who understood il rather to
mean work of spiritual restoration.
OF Soul-bu1lding. Two principles,
above others, guided the olden Jew
lsh charity: to help the lettering rath-
er than to wait for tnaIf fall and to
avoid that loudneSs and ostentation
in charity which degrades the giver
and shames the recipient Greater
said the rabbis, lis he who lends than
he that bestows aims ard, according
to another saying, the maa who gives
in secret IS greater tnan Moses him
self"
AS an outgrowth of such eonvic-
tons, no more enlightened charity has
ever been devised than those numer-
Gus, typicaHy Jewish organic tions,
OF which New Orleans also posses one,
calling themselves in the old Hebrew
term, "aWarders of kindness" which
come to the rescue OF the small bust
ness man In times of distress with
gT-atuitouS loans. So many hard-work-
ing, worthy people are subsiSting Upon
small margins of livelihood; it hap
pens so often that sickness, accident,
hard times, mistakes of judgment,
threaten to wreck the frai1 structure
OF small business or modest home
that timely propping up through a
temporary loan viii mean salvation
for those who otherwise would drift
inevitably upon the rocks of utter
failure and lasting dependence
Nor is there any oIden Jewish prafc-
tce that can be commended more I'M
reservedly TO the emulation of the
present generation than that of giving
IN secret, not letting, to quote the
beautiful New Testament phrase,
thy left hand know what thy right
hand doeth. (Math. Vi. s.
How touchingly beautiful, in those
simple days, were fne ingenuities, the
loving little fa4sehoods that were prac-
t1ced to save the pride of the poor
to keep from them the barest sllspic-
ion as to the Identity of those who
had penetrated the jealousy guarded
secret Of their want and. lavishly re-
lieved it! The feast of Esther espee-
tally was the season when ktnd-heart-
cd people loved to gladden. the hearts
OF the poor with anonymous gifts, to
brighten destitute homes with sudden
plenty, taking elaborate care to con-
ceal the person of the bountiful giver.
Rich and the Poor. \
But many were the other occasions
on which the Iiich and the Door met
together to testify that the Lord is
the maker Of them ALL In old Juda-
ism the rich man deemed 1t an honor
TO aid the poor in their home-feStiyi-
ties, to assist at the naming of their
children, to ut out poor bride that
she might not come penniless into
her husbands house, nay, to wash and
clothe the bodies of the dead as the
truest of al kindnesses,' the one deed
of mercy that could neve7. be recipro-
Gated by him to whom it had been
rendered
In all of these practices. and in
many others have not mentioned, the
guiding principle is this: That genu-
Inc charity is not satisfied with sus-
tanning the body, but aims to reach
the soul, to save the manhood and
womanhOod which are in danger of
per1shing under a sea of troubles. To
satisfy the afflicted SOUL by draw
ing out thy SOUL" to set up again, in
other words, the destroyed brother
mood of human souls, TO maintain
spiritual equality in the fare of out
ward differences, that is the one aspi-
ration of genuine charity.
To-day our wealth interposes to for
bid all contact with the DOOR. The
distressed brother can not be admitted
10 our ONCE, We are too busy: the wO-
man in trouble can not see the lady
OF the house, let her go to the relief
organization at appointed hours; much
less can we visit the homes of the
poor, the surroundings are too forbid
ding. lnstitutionalism, with it's rules
and cautions, has specialized helpful
ness as a department CT GEOLOGY and
changed into mere tax Of social de-
cen>y what was once a bond between
human hearts. But the mechanizing
Of spiritual work draws ON it ineyfta-
Die penalties; it is net only the poor,
but the rich almost more who lose in
tneN substitution of rSyStpm for Df~-
sonalities. The rich need to be hu-
manized by seeing the lives of the
poor; they need TO have their own
llVes Fitted out Of ruts OF seIf-indulg-
ence, away from the race of greed and
the lust for power if they are to en-
Joy the higher blessings that slumber
III the possession Of wealth
We need to find synthesis between !
ID and new, between. personal service
and scientific method. between the
and the ideal. But at what |
ever final form we may arrive we
sha!l never Outgrow the need for in
5plra1On AMI examine: here az else