THINKING OUT OF THE (TZ’DAKA) BOX

One day, one of R’ Grossman’s new acquaintances told him that his brother was serving a sentence in Shaata prison.

“Your brother is my brother,” said R’ Grossman, and the two went to visit him in jail.  His first ever visit to a jail shook him up.  When the visit was over, he asked the prison warden whether he could learn Torah with the inmates twice a week.  That was the start of Project Shakeid.

Inspired by R’ Grossman, learning groups of inmates were formed and developed into the national network of Prison Study Halls, in which over 1000 inmates learn Torah daily.

As R’ Grossman’s connections with prisons deepened, he initiated various events within prison walls.  At a Chanuka party that he organized he met an inmate, spoke to him, and parted with a kiss on the cheek.  A few days later, he received a letter from that inmate in which he wrote, “Honored rabbi, I am sitting in my jail cell and crying.  I want you to know that this was the first time in my life that I got a kiss.”

This “minor” event opened his eyes.  “In encounters with prisoners over the years, I have discovered refined people with a lot of spirit and soul, and I’ve wondered what happened to cause them to descend into a life of crime?”

He got the answer in that letter.  He realized that what these people were lacking was love, love they did not receive at home, that they did not receive in the environment they grew up in.  If they had received love and the right treatment they would have turned out fine and not have reached the low place they were now in.

R’ Yitzchok Dovid Grossman has combined utter devotion with charitable activities on a national scale, for which he was awarded the Israel prize.  “Tz’daka is about always sharing what you have.  Don’t live as though what you’ve received is coming to you.  If you’ve received something, it’s in order to share.  You must always be sensitive to others.  You need to care.  This is the foundation of giving and of Ahavas Yisroel.”

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This excerpt comes from a book called HaMatana (The Gift), R’ Shneur Cohen’s best-seller.  The book was published a few months ago and is very popular.  It is about the biggest gift we can give ourselves – giving to others.

Shneur Cohen takes the concept of giving and places it center stage.  Through stories from contemporary Israeli life and fascinating insights, HaMatana translates the nobility of the act of giving into the language of the average Israeli.

In an interview with Beis Moshiach, Shneur Cohen answers various questions and talks about what led him to write the book.

From concept to actualization – how did you do it?

After two years of working on the book, I showed my manuscript to a publisher and they loved it.  This distinguished publishing house, Kinneret Zemora Beitan, is known to publish only those books they believe in.  They felt that this book will speak to many Israelis.  At that point we met with their editors and designers. The feeling was that of a sense of mission in conveying this important message.  We consulted with people in the media and senior journalists who helped us make the concepts accessible to the Israeli public.

Wanting the message of the book to get out to as broad a public as possible, we advertised it in a massive campaign in all the media in the public sphere, with very widespread coverage.  We consulted a public relations strategist who developed a catchy lead for the book (loosely translated: There is a gift for every life event, and there is a book for life).  Following the strategy he devised, the book was promoted in the newspapers, social media and the top radio networks.

At branches of Steimatzky and Tzomet S’farim, the book is presented in an impressive display with special stands out front that portray the message of the campaign.  People have related to the messages and are walking into branches of these stores and asking for the book, and the sellers are reporting very large sales numbers.

I am thrilled to see the ideals that guided us throughout, being realized on the ground in the way we intended.  When a message, as lofty as it might be, is presented tastefully, and most importantly, simply and straightforwardly, it is accepted; it generates emotional reactions in the readers.  People don’t merely want to be part of the circle of giving; they want to expand it.”

Why a book about giving – what do you have to say that is new?

Since my childhood, the motif of giving has been highly significant in my life.  The chinuch in my parents’ home always revolved around giving and in the most natural way.  We felt that this is just the way it is.

In my childhood, my father, R’ Asher Lemel Cohen, rav of the Chabad community in Beitar Ilit, would send me to put envelopes with money under the doors of people he knew needed the help. My father instilled an awareness of giving in a way that took root in my inner understanding as a child. It was an integral part of the Chassidishe chinuch he gave us.  My father’s attitude toward giving, as a family shlichus, changed my outlook and taught me that giving needs to hold a much broader place in our awareness.

The Rebbe emphasized the importance of Mivtza Tz’daka countless times over the years.  As an example, the Rebbe said to attach a pushka to the wall so that it becomes part of the house.  The value of giving in general is one of the basic principles we received as an outright gift from the Rebbe.  Throughout the years, we saw how Mivtza Tz’daka was something he cares about deeply. The Rebbe did not suffice with thousands of sichos, maamarim, and letters, but personally spent hours upon hours, for years, giving out dollars for tz’daka. The Rebbe did not suffice with monetary giving but showed us how tz’daka is not just with money.  As Chassidim, we saw this in his behavior, in his responses, and in his smile.

It was with this worldview that I turned to the task of writing, to collecting material and compiling touching stories that would convey the message of giving to the Israeli mentality.  The main agenda behind the book is the conversion of lofty important messages about the value of giving into the language that Israelis speak.

I always kept in mind the need to spell out the halachos of tz’daka that are brought in Shulchan Aruch.  These are halachos that many don’t know exist.  This was done consciously in a way that would be readable to the average Israeli.

Throughout the process I consulted with my mashpia and with R’ Dov Tevardovitz.  After the professional editing, they went over the book meticulously in order to ensure its suitability from the Jewish perspective and to make sure that the book conveyed the idea of giving as a G-dly imperative that we are commanded to fulfill, and not just some lofty concept associated with the humanist ethos.

The book is meant to open a window for the reader into the world of giving, because giving is not just a shekel that we toss at a passing beggar on the street, but a way of life.  Giving which is expressed in all aspects of life.  To give to someone else is not merely to donate money to him, but to be a person for whom giving is of primary importance in how he looks at things, in the desire to do good for the people around him, with the empathy he demonstrates just by listening to someone else.

What feedback have you received?

Across the board, we have received very warm feedback.  Business people, bibliophiles, and library patrons have said how much they’ve enjoyed it.

Shluchim tell of mekuravim and friends of Chabad who have enjoyed the book which they received as a gift from shluchim.  The value of giving finds a place in the hearts of many people.  One reader said to me, “It’s a book that simply opens the heart.”

We received very interesting feedback from Arik Blum, book critic for a popular website who wrote a book review that included the following:

“‘To know how to give is an art, and if we keep at it, it will become a way of life,’ says Shneur Cohen.  Shneur Cohen, 26, the youngest of a family of 17 happy children, wrote the book HaMatana – Sefer L’Chaim.

“It’s a fantastic book which describes in language that flows and is full of feeling and sensitivity for others, the most lofty value in the life of a human being – that of unconditional giving.

“The dizzying pace with which the world is progressing has left quite a few people behind and they have lost their dignity and livelihood (professions that are obsolete).  They and others need help from those who are able to give.

“Shneur opposes the phenomenon of shnorring, of those who become perpetual dependents, stuck in their situation out of habit.  He calls upon society to minimize these situations and to prevent a situation in which someone becomes a shnorrer by profession.  A person has to be given a fishing rod and guided in how to use money wisely.

“A chapter is devoted to those who pretend to be needy and even describes a beggar who is as rich as Korach.

“Shneur does an excellent job of describing various types of giving and accompanies the explanations with touching stories from real life that are presented movingly and with humor.

“Shneur describes the proper approach to giving, how to empathize without denigrating the recipient, and mainly about giving secretly.  He attacks those for whom giving is a way to aggrandize themselves and perpetuate their name.

“The Lubavitcher Rebbe, who implemented the art of giving while he was still young, serves as a source of inspiration for the author personally and for thousands of shluchim of Chabad who continue the cycle of giving of their Rebbe, all over the world, to make the world a better place.

“This important book, in my opinion, needs to be in every house, and I recommend including it with the Hagada shel Pesach under the rubric of the mitzva ‘you shall relate to your child,’ because the value of giving to another is the basis for happiness in all aspects of life.”

Can you tell us about an encounter you’ve had with readers?

This happened after the book appeared in stores for a few weeks.  I went on a book tour to branches of Steimatzky and Tzomet S’farim all over the country.  On a tour like this, writers have an opportunity to meet with readers, see their book displayed on the shelves, and talk with branch managers.

My religious Chabad appearance surprised people.  They did not picture the author of the book they had bought as a duss (derogatory term for religious Jew).  They thought the book was a bestseller in the genre of other successful New Age books that are written by well-known American writers and are read by millions.

My being a Chabad Chassid made them realize that the truth lies right under their noses.  People were happy to meet me and told me about the impact the book has had on them and their relatives to whom they gave the book.

“Great is tz’daka for it hastens the Geula” – and may it not just hasten it but bring it now!