"Homeless People Don't Deserve Your Pity"
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ShareSource and quotation to spur discussion at a recent Homeless Awareness Group meeting at RKYHS. Students read the quotes, discussed the difference between pity and kindness, and considered what it means to not only give to the homeless but also to connect with them as full-fledged human beings.
Rav Soloveitchik, Kol Dodi Dofek
Job! You gave much charity. You did not hesitate to offer assistance and support to others, and you stood by them in their hour of distress.
However, as a man blessed with a good heart, you may have momentarily pitied the orphan. You had vast amounts of money and you wanted for nothing, hence you gave a respectable amount of tzedakah [charity].
However, loving-kindness demands more than a momentary tear and a cold coin. Loving-kindness means empathizing with one’s fellow man, identifying with his hurt and feeling responsibility for his fate.
Job! You gave much charity. You did not hesitate to offer assistance and support to others, and you stood by them in their hour of distress.
However, as a man blessed with a good heart, you may have momentarily pitied the orphan. You had vast amounts of money and you wanted for nothing, hence you gave a respectable amount of tzedakah [charity].
However, loving-kindness demands more than a momentary tear and a cold coin. Loving-kindness means empathizing with one’s fellow man, identifying with his hurt and feeling responsibility for his fate.
