What’s the halachic and ethical way to handle street tzedakah collectors whose situation feels off?
Q. How do I approach the topic of “socially off” tzedakah collectors from a halachic and ethical perspective? It’s an uncomfortable subject for me because I do like to give people in need, but there are several tzedakah collectors who have saved my number throughout the years who will occasionally reach out to me in a pushy way and I mostly ignore them, but I struggle with understanding how to frame this ethically in terms of what my responsibilities are as a Jew. Could be any time one of these pushy collectors reaches out that it’s Hashem giving me an opportunity to open myself up to a place of giving, and that I need to work past my biases against why I think I shouldn’t give to these specific people. Because regardless of how annoying or pushy their approach might be, it could be that they are truly in need. Any insight on how to approach this would be helpful 🙏
It’s a difficult question. The Chafetz Chaim writes regarding people who are inherently lazy, that it’s a sickness, and when they ask for tzedaka we should relate to them as such, feel sorry for them, and see it as relatively similar to a physical handicap. Nevertheless, remember that the highest level of tzedaka is to help him find a job and be self-sufficient. Also, there’s an important distinction between “me” and “him”, that usually such people are victims of their society and it’s hard to expect them to take the initiative and right the wrongs of their entire surroundings. Nevertheless, such an excuse should not be condoned nor used by myself, my children or anyone around me who can be corrected and taught not to be lazy- but to work for a living. That doesn’t mean that you must give him large sums, but that everyone should help him a little, thus educating him, at least to a certain extent, to exert himself. In any event, as far as you’re concerned, it’s definitely an opportunity to grow altruistically, and should be grabbed! Have a good New Year, and may you and all of Israel be blessed, written and sealed for a great year!
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