Donate with rigor

Chapter 1, Mishnah 16

רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הַסָּפֵק, וְאַל תַּרְבֶּה לְעַשֵּׂר אֹמָדוֹת:

Rabban Gamaliel used to say: appoint for thyself a teacher, avoid doubt, and do not make a habit of tithing by guesswork.

H: The end of the Mishnah is saying there shouldn’t be guesswork when you are tithing…it has to be a specific amount.  

What this refers to [in our lives today] is if you are in  shul and you make a pledge, halachically, you have to declare a specific amount. You can’t just say “I want to make a matanah [a gift] to the synagogue. It is not appropriate.

L: So, you are saying that if you are called up to the Torah, you cannot simply say I want to give a gift without specifying the amount.

H: That’s right. You have to give a specific amount.

L: This brings a family story to mind.  When Suzi was a young girl and sat in shul with her father during Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah, and the gabbai was calling out for members to publicly pledge specific amounts in front of the entire congregation.  Suzi turned to her father and said that she believed such public declarations could be embarrassing or feel like someone is coercing or pressuring potential donors.

“Isn’t this a terrible thing,” she said to her father. “They are forcing people to announce their pledges.”

Her father turned to her, telling her such a public auction was a good thing because many people would not know how much to give – if left to themselves. 

What do think of her father’s answer?

H: The Rav [Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik] was very makpid [particular, rigorous, conscientious] about these types of donations, particularly when you are called up to the Torah.  He did not allow n’davot [open-ended promises of a “gift’, vague donations with no specific amount].  

L: Did you ever hear him lecture on this topic?

H: No, I never heard him lecture on this topic, but I know that’s what he held.  It was known in shul, at the Maimonides kehillah, that is what he did, and why he believed this was the correct approach.

L: And, yet some people today in the shul do accept an envelope from a gabbai without declaring a specific amount.

Clara: …I believe that is the case because I think that sometimes it’s uncomfortable for some people who are not in the same income bracket as his neighbor…

H:…and they may feel forced to give beyond their means.

L: I think a little pressure is good in this case. It’s okay. But people should understand that you can only give what you can give.  Admittedly, it’s a bit of a balancing act to know how much you can or should give.

Let’s hear what Bunim has to say.

“Until this Mishnah, every figure in the chain of tradition was introduced with a sentence which linked him to his predecessor.   For example, Antignos of Socho received a tradition from Shimon HaTzadik.  Beginning with this Mishnah, however, the sentence is omitted. It starts with “Rabban Gamliel said” The reason for this is that after having presented the teachings of Hillel, the succeeding paragraphs begin with the maxims of the sons and grandsons who succeeded him as presidents of the Sanhedrin.  The account of the Mesorah chain of tradition is however resumed in Mishanh 5…”

Howie, when it comes to this Mishnah what advice do believe it is giving our grandchildren?

H: That when it comes to Torah Sh’balpeh [the Oral Law] you do have to be exact. If something is not specifically Torah Sh’balpeh, then you are not required to be so exacting.

L: You mean that if it is in the Torah, no matter its interpretation, you have to follow it close to the letter? You have to take it very seriously. If the Torah specifies time amounts or volume amounts, for instance, we have to follow those rules.

What if your grandchild pushes up against you and says to you, “You know Grandpa, I’m not in the mood to bench today.”

H: You have to treat them with an endearing approach in order to get them to understand and therefore [hope they] follow this commandment or maxim.

L: Does it takes age and maturity for some of this “exacting” behavior to happen? Or does it never happen?

H: For some people, it never happens…

L: We won’t judge ourselves here based on this Mishnah…[we both smile].