Charity

One of the foundational ideas of Judaism – and to a lesser expressed extent, other faiths – is the concept of charity. The Rebbe used to hand people dollar bills with instructions to give charity. The minimum amount is the the famed “10%,” While the sages made sure that common sense prevailed and limited the maximum to 20%. In recent days, we have seen the world of charitable giving upended by the actions of GoFundMe and the Canadian trucker fiasco. Look, I have my own feelings about giving and especially giving to and through organizations that purport to be conduits of funding. I spent a good part of my life begging those people for money and more – begging the public to give money to them. I would not and will not ever tell you what to do with your money or what to give it to, should you choose to do so. But I can assure you that I personally will NEVER give a dime through a conduit organization. Why not? Consider the reason that GoFundMe has given for this deal with the Canadian truckers and understand this simple truth: the bottom line of the conduit is the only thing that matters…