The face of the Other is where we see God in the world. At least that’s what Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas tells us. And what could be more Other to a comfortable middle class Jewish boy than a homeless, dirty beggar? The euphemism “panhandler” is an Americanism designed to ease the confrontation. And what could…
I don’t give money to panhandlers, ever. I suppose I developed this point of view from following the money: In the mid-1990s, I offered a ride home to a woman and her two children who I saw panhandling on a busy median in the pouring rain. At the rundown motel where they lived, I met…
The subway doors closed and a man inside loudly recounted being mugged and beaten, losing everything and becoming homeless. He needed help. People looked away. One or two rummaged through their bags; others no doubt tried to imagine they were anywhere but there. I’m a daily subway rider and hear stories like this regularly, and…
Is a panhandler deserving of charity or is the person a threat to public safety? I see the issue altogether differently. When a stranger asks me for money, I believe that that person is offering me the opportunity to give. I once read that it is no more ethical to give than to receive. Confounded,…
Between two holidays that celebrate plenty — Sukkot and Thanksgiving — we are entitled, if not downright obliged, to inquire into the implications of plenitude. Accordingly, let us start with a Happy Birthday greeting. The greeting is in honor of Mazon, now in the second year of its second quarter century. Mazon began as a…
If you’re Jewish, and into food, and not outraged, then you’re not paying attention. Americans like to think of ourselves as a generous people, and we are – even though special interests transform much of our international food aid programs into a wasteful boondoggle that undermines the abilities of communities and countries in Africa, Asia…
One of the ethical principles on which the Jewish environmental and food movements rest is ba’al tashchit, the commandment not to needlessly waste or destroy. One area of modern life that desperately needs to understand this principle better is our food supply, where over 40% of the food produced for human consumption is thrown away….
It is often said that Americans are overfed and undernourished when it comes to food. Supermarket shelves are lined with highly processed “food” products that contain little nutritional value when compared to the number of calories provided. While these products excel at meeting our energy requirements as cheaply as possible, one of the many hidden…
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