June 2005 Bulletin

For Your Consideration - Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro

    This article is not about raising money for Sinai, although I think that is a worthy cause. The article is, instead, occasioned by the fact that June 3 marks the first anniversary of my brain surgery.
    Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about that anniversary and the blessing of my return to health over the last year. But as the anniversary has approached, I’ve also been feeling I want to make a tzedakah contribution.
    Why tzedakah in connection with my surgery?
    I want to give tzedakah to give thanks (for my recovery), to give back (I was
blessed with wonderful care and support; perhaps I can return the favor), to share my good fortune (I was blessed with health coverage that allowed me to have the best care in the world; how lucky I am), to recognize the miracle of life (my brain, my vision,my sense of smell, the gift of balance), to stand in awe at the whole process of life, death, victory, and tragedy. I want to give tzedakah because I am overwhelmed by an event that brought me right up to the edge of mortality and then allowed me to return to my life.
    In fact, what I’m really writing this month is a message to you about all the times when you or I might give tzedakah to any cause of our choice. You don’t have to look into the abyss in order to be thankful. You or a loved one can have a birthday and give tzedakah. You can finish a project, you can move into a new home, you can read a great book, you can read an inspiring story in the newspaper, you can buy a new car, you can even buy a new suit. You can give tzedakah almost any time for any purpose because tzedakah is a way of enlarging yourself.
    Tzedakah is a way to take note of life’s sweetness. As my teacher, Danny Siegel, would say, "Nizkeh l’mitzvot…May we all merit the performance of great mitzvot – chief among them the opportunity of tzedakah…the opportunity to give back to the world so in need around us."