Gesher and the root of giving

CHIEF RABBI DR WARREN GOLDSTEIN

From the dawn of creation, G-d said, “It’s not good for a person to be alone.” And He created Adam and Eve to help one another, to support one another. To be a human being, therefore, is to be connected to and concerned about others.

This is the basis for the great mitzvah (commandment) of chesed (compassion). According to our sages, the mitzvah is to emulate G-d Himself. “Be similar to Him,” says the Talmud. “Just as G-d is gracious and compassionate, so too should you be gracious and compassionate.”

We have an obligation to show chesed to every human being. But there’s an extra level of responsibility within our own community. In the language of our sages, “every Jew stands surety for another”. We are all guarantors for one other’s well-being through acts of loving-kindness, and especially through tzedakah (charity).

According to the sages of the Talmud, the highest level of tzedakah is to help a person be self-sufficient, to spare them the indignity of needing a handout. By providing a partnership or loan, we bestow on the recipient the dignity of being economically self-sustaining – the ultimate gift.

This applies especially when we can help someone maintain their financial independence. We learn this from the Torah verse: “…And you shall strengthen him … so that he may live by your side.” As the commentators explain, this refers to the great mitzvah to support a person before they become dependent on charity; to ensure that they remain financially independent.

Since the beginning of lockdown, the ability of business owners to maintain their businesses and hence their financial independence and dignity – and that of the people they employ – has been of great concern to all of us.

I’ve worked with business leaders on this issue for more than a month, and seen first-hand our community respond to the call of this great mitzvah.

Working together, a remarkable coalition of business leaders, philanthropic foundations, and communal institutions have established a special fund to give Jewish-owned small businesses the support they so desperately need.

The newly formed Gesher Fund will offer interest-free loans to ensure that businesses weather COVID-19.

The beauty of the fund is that it helps people before they fall. Practically, it takes far fewer resources to hold a person up than to pick them up. By remaining on their feet, these businesses can continue to contribute to our own community and the South African economy at large, providing vital employment opportunities and fuelling economic growth. There’s a dignity in that too.

Together, we can ensure that those under financial strain come through this crisis with their dignity intact.