Rabbi Charles P. Sherman
Social Justice Shabbat
November 16, 2001
The Virtue of Volunteering
Frankly, friends, I do not know exactly why 2001 has been designated as "The Year of the Volunteer." It seems to me that in Judaism every year is the year of the volunteer. I believe that Jewish life, as we have known it in the past and experience it today, is simply impossible to conceive without the concept of volunteerism. What I propose this evening is to share with you what I think are the basic values upon which volunteerism is based in Judaism.
The Hebrew term for volunteer is mitnadev. This word derives from a biblical word which means "to make a freewill offering to God." Now the reason behind offerings is the Psalmist's phrase Ladonai ha-aretz v'chol m'lo-a - "the earth is God's and all its fullness." This world and everything in it belongs to God. We are temporary residents who use things which are lent to us by God. We are responsible for keeping those things in good shape, for utilizing them wisely, and for improving this world wherever we can. Furthermore, we are to pay the real Owner a portion of our harvest, because the space we inhabit and everything we use on it and in it are God's. So the Jew would give a portion of whatever he or she possessed to God by means of an offering and a tithe. In biblical days the going rate was 10%, which meant 10% one's resources, not just money, sheep or cattle, but also time and talent.
Thus a mitnadev is more grateful than generous, more fair than philanthropic. Volunteers are responsible citizens making their mortgage payments in a timely manner and paying their dues for the privilege of living in this world which belongs in toto to God.
Therefore, there is no need to honor or thank volunteers. You see, we teach our young children to say "thank you." We want them to understand that they have been given something and that the appropriate response when receiving something is to say "thank you." So we repeat, over and over again, to our young child - "what do we say when somebody does something nice for us? What do you say when somebody gives you something?" And the child learns to say "thank you." But nobody says to an adult: "What do you say?" Hopefully we have learned to express our appreciation, and that is what volunteering is in its most basic sense. It is our way of expressing our thanks to God for what - day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute - God provides us.
Abraham Joshua Heschel observed that we must distinguish between being human and a human being. We are born human beings, what we must achieve is being human. Martin Buber adds direction on how to make this distinction. "To begin with oneself, but not to end with oneself. To start with oneself, but not to aim at oneself. To comprehend oneself, but not to be preoccupied with oneself." In the Jewish understanding of things, volunteers contribute, give back to God in appreciation for what has been given or loaned to us.
The prophet Micah taught us how. God only requires us to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. Judaism is not merely a set of beliefs; it is a way of life. Judaism is not an other-worldly religion. In our tradition, people are co-workers with God in the creation of a better world here and now. Therefore, we are called upon to bridge the gap between prayer and practice, creed and conduct.
Which brings me to our second word - mitzvah. Often it is a catch word today for performing a good deed or even bestowing favor. As positive as good actions are, the genuine meaning of the word mitzvah is diluted when used so superficially. The word actually comes from the Hebrew word to "command." Doing God's will is inherent in mitzvah. But I also like how Buber and Heschel interpret mitzvah to mean "response." What is response? First, a person hears a call, then that human being is stirred to act. The Jewish response is hinini - here I am. When God calls to Abraham, Abraham answers: Hinini - here I am. Esau says hinini when Isaac wants him to hunt and prepare food for him so he can bestow his blessing. And Jacob readily answers the angel of God who appears in his dream, as does Joseph when his father sends him out to look for his brothers. Perhaps most importantly, Moses does not run from the burning bush but remains to receive the single most significant volunteer duty - to go to Pharaoh himself and demand the emancipation of the Jewish People. And you think your Rabbi sometimes asks a lot of you!
Our Torah is full of people who come when called. Jonah stands out as one who refuses. But God tracks him down eventually. He cannot escape his volunteer obligations - you can run, you can hide, you can take a cruise; but when God needs a volunteer, God finds you.
Buber said "this is what I mean by religion, not removing yourself into another world, but by responding to the call that comes into your everyday life." Buber dreamed of small communities of Jews who would translate their religious consciousness into loving action.
And that is the way Jews have organized community life traditionally. Every Jewish person who had any kind of Jewish upbringing at all knows that you are supposed to help the poor, be they the Jewish poor or the non-Jewish poor. You are supposed to dower the bride - be she a Jewish bride or a non-Jewish bride; and you are supposed to bury the dead - be they the Jewish dead or the non-Jewish dead; and we've been doing exactly that for the past 3,000 years.
We did not depend upon government or welfare. We built our own network of free loan societies, old age homes, Chevrah Kaddishas, and we saw to it that no bride ever went without a dowery, that no poor person ever went without a meal, that no orphan was ever abandoned. The way we organized our communities taught the rest of the world how to build hospitals, organize family services, United Ways, Y's, orphanages, scholarship funds, etc., etc., and in the beginning, all of these were created and staffed by volunteers.
We felt called to lend a hand, give the time, fill the gap, repair the breach, light that candle, stoop to help that child, serve that meal, sew those trousers, and all the other great and small things that bring God's grace to this good earth. And we responded hinini - here I am.
The third and fourth phrases I would like to teach you are: mitzvah goreret mitzvah - one response leads to another. And s'char mitzvah mitzvah - the reward for responding is the response. The reward is the opportunity to do yet another and another worthy deed. The Talmud says if a person resides in a town 30 days, he becomes responsible for contributing to the soup kitchen; three months, to the charity box; six month, to the clothing fund; nine months to the burial fund; and after 12 months, one is responsible for contributing to the repair of the town walk.
This means that the longer a person is in a community the more he or she has received from that community and, therefore, the more he or she has incurred obligations to that community. It is also true that the more time a person spends in a community, the greater sense they have of belonging to it and needing to be a part of things. The more you know what is needed, the more you should want to contribute.
Frankly, that is why some people avoid getting involved in community institutions and organizations - they talk about being "sucked in". Their conclusion is that if you are "sucked in" and see how much is needed and how much more you can do, you become a "sucker." Judaism says you become a responsible citizen. Isn't that interesting? Two people can look at what a third is doing and one says "that is a sucker" and the other says "that is a responsible citizen." How do you see it?
People who view their volunteer activity as a calling, a response, an obligation of responsible citizenship find satisfaction in what they are doing, whether anybody ever thanks them or honors them or tells them how much they are appreciated. While praise and thanks are nice and make us feel good, they are basically not needed. These folks have the satisfaction of knowing that they are making a difference. S'char mitzvah mitzvah. The reward is the act itself.
I suspect that every person in this room has done things which they have felt called to do. You know that it is the right thing to do even if nobody has seen it or nobody has said "thank you", "job well done", "you are a good guy or a good gal." Yet there is that inner glow, that sense of satisfaction which nobody else could ever convey. And what is more, this sense of satisfaction leads you to do even more. Mitzvah goreret mitzvah. Those who sit on the sidelines and watch the "suckers" do all the work will never understand those two concepts.
I am going to show-off my versatility if not erudition. I'll switch languages for my final concept. As a paratrooper is about to jump, he offers down the line a hearty "Gung-ho!" and then flies with the wind to his target. Gung Ho is the Chinese for "working together". Working together we can do almost anything. Working together by volunteering our interests, skills and strengths, we can heal, repair, transform, improve our particular piece of creation. Let's take our congregation. By visiting our sick, welcoming our visitors, securing our building, joining committees, sponsoring our onegs, ushering our guests, tutoring students, reading to preschoolers, arranging flowers, baking or traying for onegs, setting tables, helping clean up after events, staffing the Judaica Shop, preparing and delivering meals to the Day Center for the Homeless, answering phones, setting up the announcement board, obtaining hosts/hostesses and bima participants, collecting unusables, joining our Sisterhood, sustaining our Brotherhood, singing in our choirs, underwriting our programs, assisting our staff, supporting our leaders, helping mail bulletins, making calls, stuffing envelopes, leading projects, raising funds, keeping archives, giving blood - by working together, we can do anything. And if we can do it here, we can do it in other settings as well.
Certainly some of these tasks can be difficult or boring, hard to do when you are busy. They can present frustrations and challenges, add to the burdens we already have from just plain living. Yet I do not think we volunteers are masochists, and we do not just need something to fill our time or to k'vetch about. I believe there is something within us as Jews that compels us to be involved. We have learned the saying "pray as though everything depends on God; act as though everything depends on you." We know that we are God's hands and feet and eyes.
Many of you here tonight understand these lessons well. Your hearts have received the call, and we are grateful for how you have responded. God commanded Abraham to "be a blessing," and he replied by deed. So, too, have you responded. You are our blessings. Amen
In preparing this message, I have benefitted from the writings of
Judi Newman and Rabbis Lawrence Jackofsky, Jack Riemer,
Francis Barry Silberg and Mitchell Wohlberg.
Hand-out Sheet
The Virtues of Volunteering
Mitnadev -- to make a freewill offering to God
"The earth is God's and all its fullness." (Psalm 24)
Volunteering is our way of expressing our thanks to God for what has been given or loaned to us.
Mitzvah -- response
Hineini -- here I am
Mitzvah goreret mitzvah -- one response leads to another
S'char mitzvah, mitzvah -- the reward for responding is the response
Gung-Ho -- working together
We are God's hands, feet and eyes.
"Pray as if everything depends on God; act as though everything depends on you."
