What would you do in this situation? Why? What factors are there to consider in making this decision?
Friday, April 29, 2011
Me, Them, and the Slice of Pizza
What would you do in this situation? Why? What factors are there to consider in making this decision?
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1. i would probably not give him the money if i was in this postion for a lot of reasons. 1 main reason would be is i wouldn't know for sure if he is a person who actually needs this pizza to survive. If this person did need this pizza to survive i would have to think of the consequences that affect me before i give this person the money. one consequence would be that i would not have the money to eat right now and i would have to account for the next time i'll eat and if its worth it. another consequence would be that i would have spent time to go to the pizza place and go back. i would have to account for how much of a hurry i am in. one other very important thing to keep in mind is knowing that this person could buy something that is not essential for living like drugs or alcohol.
ReplyDelete(Levin-Post #1) There are 2 different things to do in this situation; Give them the money or not. There are many factors that would lead me to my decision. One is how hungry I am. If I'm not that hungry I would probably give him/her the money. However, if I'm really hungry, I probably won't give them the money. In class Eli brought up a good analogy. He said its like on a plane, if the oxygen masks come down, your supposed to put your's on before helping others. This idea is the same in this situation; take care of your needs before helping others. Another factor is how the person looks. If they look like they take drugs or drink a lot of alcohol, I would be less likely to give them money than to a person who looked relatively clean, because I am not sure wether the money will go to a pizza or something along the lines of something illegal. Alex said another factor that I agree with which is do we know that they are actually homeless. Are they just a little punk trying to get a free meal or are they really hungry.
ReplyDeleteIn response to shenky,
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that if i don't get this pizza I will live. you are assuming things about this person. What if they really do need food to survive and you could help them for just one day.Even though I don’t know how they are really going to use the money I would fell responsible if they really did want to buy food but everyone assumed the worst of them and they did not get anything to eat that day. I know that I can get pizza any time I want, today is not the only day and only time I can go to that place and buy food.
I also have a question,
In our class discussion everyone assumed they worst of the person who was asking for money. Why is it that we feel the meed to make up a situation for someone in need?
1. To add to my previous comment,
ReplyDeleteMatthew used Eli's quote "if the oxygen masks come down, your supposed to put your's on before helping others." That is true however we only do this so that we can live and maybe stick around longer to help others on the plane. And even though it took effort to get to the pizza place (say it was a 10 min walk) I'm sure i could just walk back home and eat some food there. I can have pizza whenever i want another day. I dont know if this person has the same privileges as me. Maybe they could get food whenever they want, but they might also have to wait for some one to give them money in order to get any food.
#1
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lara and Shenky:
I doubt the person would desperatly need the pizza to survive or he/she would be in a hospital. It would still be nice for the person to eat the pizza instead of going hungry for a day.
There are a variety of variables that would factor in giving this needy person money for pizza. Firstly, What is the person's history? How did the person become homeless in the first place? Did he/she fall to the dangers of drugs or simply got fired. When giving to needy people on the street there is no way of knowing this history. Secondly, how will I know the money will go to pizza? It could go to many other things the needy person has his/her eyes on. How do I know the person is actually hungry and not taking advantage of me? There is an interesting article about the rise of professional panhandling and homeless people's tactics to get money. http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_panhandling.html Lastly it is better to give a person in need a long fix than a short, immediate one. If this person in need put as much effort into getting a job as panhandling maybe he/she would not have to be in this position.
In the end I would not give the money. There is not enough information I know about this person to feel comfortable giving him/her the money. If it was a cancer patient who needed to raise money for a surgery or something similar to that affect where I know where exactly the money is going to and what the problem is, I'd be more willing to give the money.
I agree with Nikita that you do not know the condition of this man in the present, although another thing to think about when in this situation is about the man's past. Was it the man's bad decisions earlier in life that brought him here or was he born into a very difficult life situation? (and that is already assuming he is actually homeless and no deceiving people). Knowing this, i could maybe gauge better whether the man seems trustworthy of the use of my money or whether he is more worthy of it. Another thing to think about is the physical condition of the homeless person. Many homeless people become lazy or hopeless and decide to just depend on others when they could be actually out there trying to find some way of making means. If this was the case, I would feel that it is unfair i’m giving out the money i had to work for. If I saw that the man was very old or seemed very sickly, i would then assume he was too sick to work and therefore be more inclined to help out.
ReplyDeleteMost of the points being brought up are based on assumptions of the homeless person because there is no way we can actually know anything about them from the first encounter. So, if i were in this situation, I would give the homeless person the benefit of the doubt, as Naomi Gilmore had said in a comment on the miser story, and give the man my money because it feels good to do a mitzvah and, as Lara said, i could probably just get food at home.
Unfortunately for beggars though, there are many of them on the street, especially in San Francisco and I personally, know that i cannot help everyone. This is a big reason that i have to pass up helping many people that ask me for money throughout the week.
that was comment #2
ReplyDeleteand i didn't refresh the page before i posted this and after it was posted and i refreshed, Ari's popped up and he said the same thing about the past..
#1
ReplyDeleteJust food for thought, in Ari's and Perri's comments they have things that they need to know. Like how did the person get to the point where they need to beg for money or how are they gonna use the money. But in reality when most people see a person asking for money they don't strike up a conversation about their life stories. People will either give the person money or not and most people make this decision by making assumptions aout the person asking for money.
#1. Perri said that you want to think about how that person got into the situation that he or she is currently in. She would want to know if the person had a good life and fell onto hard times of his/her own actions, or if they just had a bad life from birth. I don't think this should be important at all because no matter what the person did to get to where he/she is, being homeless is punishment enough. he shouldn't have to suffer anymore then he already has for his past actions (although if he is still abusing drugs or alcohol that is a different situation).
ReplyDeleteIf I give this man my $1.50 that I was going to use for pizza, I will not get pizza, plain and simple. However if i keep the money for myself, he will just go on and ask other people for money, it is not as if I am his one chance of getting food. Furthermore I am less responsible for getting this man food then, say, a man with $3, or enough money to buy both himself and this man food.
(consider this a part of the previous comment)
ReplyDeleteIf I myself were in this situation I would always, 100% of the time put my hunger ahead of someone else's. I am hungry, and I can't be held responsible for feeding someone else if it directly interferes with my own hunger. Even if I did have enough money i would still likely not give the person money. On the other hand, if I were generous enough to give money, I wouldn't care about knowing anything other then what I can see with what my own eyes. First of all, if I give him $1 and he doesn't need it, big whoop I'm out of $1. But if I don't give him the $1 and he does need it then the loss is much greater. True, he won't die, but the fact is it's worth the risk. Second of all, as cynical as this may sound, I just don't care very much. It's just a dollar to me, I can get more from my parents. If this man is asking random people on the streets for money, he obviously needs it more then I do. Furthermore this is a very common event, and I wouldn't take more then 5 seconds to make my decision. it's not worth my time to stand there and figure out this man's life.
Also, in response to Matthew: people with homes (and thus not homeless) can be reduced to begging too. Just because they have a home doesn't mean they don't need the money.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Eli's flurry of comments, I have a question. How could you expect other people to be charitable while your first instinct would be to essentially leave this person to the next possible donor? In this situation you must expect every person to act exactly as you did, for it is irresponsible to expect better out of other people than out of yourself. If you are to be passive, everyone will be passive and no one will ever take the time to acknowledge this person's needs because "the next guy will get it." In this instance there is no such thing as "less responsible" for in that moment you are this person's only hope. There isn't a street survey of the richest and most generous people and then the winners are the ones who get asked and give some money. At this particular time you are fully responsible for whether or not this person will get to eat, and that must play a role in your decision to give money or not.
ReplyDeleteIn Eli's second comment, he seems to contradict himself (probably because he was writing it at 1am, but still). Eli claims that even if he had the money to give he would be inclined to satisfy his own hunger before all else and that feeding someone else would interfere with that. He then says that he would donate regardless of the situation because he could possibly be helping this person's life. What exactly do you mean by this? What I think you may be trying to say is that if you only have money enough for yourself, you would not donate because your hunger is more important. However if you had plentiful money you wouldn't even consider the scenario and would immediately give this person money. This logic is flawed, for you are still dismissing this responsibility to someone (be it yourself in this situation) with more money as the one who takes the responsibility in this issue.
The fact is that this person looks hungry, and says that they are hungry. You know that you will be able to eat another meal today, and cannot possibly infer whether or not this person will eat again this week. It is your direct responsibility to feed this person in whatever way possible to ensure that you are doing everything within the range of your ability to allow this person to remain healthy and enjoy their life.
I would like to bring up some points that have not been brought up yet. A lot of people seem to be focusing on exactly how much this person needs the money, what they will spend it on, and their history that led them to their current homelessness. Although these factors could be important, they're things we really have no way of absolutely knowing. So maybe instead of focusing on how much the other person needs the money, we focus on how much we need to help out in this world. I believe it is no less of a Mitzvah if you give $1.50 to someone who will buy drugs than if you give it to someone who is genuinely hungry. Either way it is an act of kindness that will brighten their day, and in turn help us to be good people.
ReplyDeleteAnother point that hasn’t been brought up, is it may not be such a terrible thing if that person did spend the money on drugs. Yes, the money could be spent on better long term solutions, but if this person is on the street and begging for money, their life is most likely not where they would like it to be. So who are we to stop them from making their immediate reality that much better with drugs and alcohol?
Little acts of kindness have the power to make a big difference, for both the giver and the taker- regardless of the circumstances.
That being said, there are countless little acts of kindness in need of happening, and thus we have to chose the battles we fight. Each of us must do the best we can to help, in whatever shape or form that may be. Realistically, a lot of times big organizations are more effective. I personally would not give money to the majority of homeless people I pass on the street, but I do not think it is any less honorable of a mitzvah.
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ReplyDeleteComment #2. I find this situation ironic because I would give them the $1.50 but not because I want to help them out when they are in need of food, but because I want to feel better about myself and I want to give charity. The Torah says that we should give charity to those in need but we are not always in situations where we can give charity. I personally do not have the time to go somewhere and donate toys or give money. I am also too lazy to go online and donate money to the Japan Relief Effort, but if a representative of Japan came up to me and asked me for money, I would give him money. Donating money and giving charity is a big mitzvah and I feel really good about myself after I help someone out. To me, it doesn’t matter what they spend it on because as long as I give the money to them, I instantly feel as if I am making a huge difference in the world. Granted if they spent the money on food instead of drugs, it would be better but that is up to them. A lot of people suffer in the world and we are not always in situations where we can help but when someone in need comes up to you and asks for money and you give it to them, it is almost like your giving it to them with the thought of everyone who is suffering in the world.
ReplyDeleteAlso responding to Lara: The “homeless” tag has been put on people who panhandle by society although most homeless people don’t panhandle. In fact, according to a survey only 17% of homeless people panhandle. Calling people who panhandle; homeless, is almost like calling Arab's; terrorists. In my opinion, most people nowadays think of arabs when they first hear the word terrorists just like people think of people who panhandle when they first hear the word homeless, although not all terrorists are arabs.
Also responding to Michael, I agree that it matters how the person looks but like Eli said, you only have a few seconds to make a decision whether to give money or not. It is not fair to people who need it but wear dirty clothes dont hold babies. Sometimes you have to take a chance with people, they might spend it on drugs, that is a possibility but it doesn't mean that you should just write them off and not listen to them at all.
Natasha 1
ReplyDeleteI think it’s important to remember that we/our families are all relatively privileged. If we give the person our money we may be hungry for a couple hours, but can go home and eat our go back the next day and buy ourselves a whole pizza. We are very lucky, and I think we have a responsibility to help those who are currently less fortunate than us (whatever their ‘story.’) I do not think we have to give the person our lunch money, but we should acknowledge our privilege and give back in some other way. In class Rabbi Goodman said that if he knows he will be walking through an area with a lot of people living on the street, he will plan ahead and bring money with him to give to these people. Many people raised the concern that our pizza money could be used to buy drugs. Maybe instead of giving this person our money today, we could start consistently volunteering at a food pantry. The assistance we give can be less dramatic and more effective if we commit to working consciously and consistenty.
A few people have mentioned that San Francisco offers many free services to the homeless or people in need, and therefore it is important to keep in mind that we are not their only chance at a meal. To me this is dangerously close to a crowd mentality-if I don’t do it there are loads of other people, one of them is bound to. This is why I completely agree with the first paragraph of Danny’s response. I believe that we all have a responsibility to the person asking for $1.50; whether we fulfill it by giving them the money, half a slice of pizza, or asking them about their day is our choice. Whatever you can do for that person, even if it’s just a smile, is better than nothing. I also think people need to realize that while we do live in San Francisco where there is a wealth of soup kitchens and shelters, the services do not come close to meeting the need. If a person asks for food but they do not look particularly sick or weak it is unfair to assume they do not need your help. To say that an able-bodied hungry person on the street is lazy is presumptuous and probably just not true. Many soup kitchens go off a first come first served basis. Maybe that person was at a job interview and they missed the serving time. We keep weaving backgrounds and stories for this person like they are fictional and we write their history. This person is real and they deserve the benefit of our doubt. At the same time I recognize that many beggars will spend change collected on drugs or alcohol and their substance abuse is not something I want to patronize. That’s why, more often than not, I do forego lunch but why I also will buy and give them pizza rather than cash.
ReplyDelete#1 I agree with Hannah in that I don't think that just giving someone money is the right thing to do because I don't feel comfortable with funding a unhealthy drug problem. However this person needs our help no matter who they are and why they want my money is really none of my concern. It is my responsibility to help them.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time it is important to make sure I am taken care of. You hunger is just as important as theirs. The best thing about this scenario is that you can easily slice a piece of in half. Maybe you won't be as full but you are feed and you may have given that person their only food for the day.
In response to Lara’s question:
ReplyDeleteI think that we make up situations for strangers or assume that we know everything about them, because it makes our decision weather or not to give them money a lot easier. If assume that they are a bad person or that they are drug addicts it makes it easier to say no. It makes us feel like we are doing them and the community a favor. When we think that they have been through countless hardships or that they have been through an almost imbarible life we feel that when we say yes we are giving them something much greater. But the reality is we know absolutely nothing about what they have been through. We must make a decision. I think that I would probably say yes.
Whuen we give someone money it no longer belongs to us, it belongs to them. It is there decision how they use it. Weather it is to buy pizza or drugs. I recently met a parent of a teenage drug addict I used to go to school with and he said that the best thing to do is to let them make there own decision after pointing them in the right direction. Because if they start relying on others to not let them do drugs, odds are that when they don’t have those people, they will end up right back to where they were.
Also, I dont think that how they got to where they are should effect our decisions. Of course their story matters, but the past is the past. If you were in their situation wouldn’t you want even get to have the chance to have good first impression, rather then someone ignoring you or not helping you?
I would say yes, even if they were a drug addict, because odds are one of the reasons they are drug addicts is because they feel invisible and doing this one little thing may make them feel just a little bit more noticed.
Post #2
ReplyDeleteTouching on what Boris has said, i dont believe that it would be considered charity if the $1.50 you gave to this shabby and dirty person was spent on drugs or some sort of frowned upon recreational activity. Would you feel good if you had helped out an addict crave their addiction? But aside from that I agree with Michael in that a person who presents themselves well and is honest, seems to attract ones attention a whole lot more then one who is sitting with their legs stretched out in front of you. Honesty attracts my attention and if the person claims " I just want a cold beer" or " Im hungry, need money for food" then i feel much more obligated and willing to give them money. In addition i think that it would be a good idea to buy this person the pizza slice and hand it to them instead of just giving them the money. As pointed out by Perri there is a good chance that i still have food at home, something this person does not have and cannot enjoy. This means that I would give him the pizza even if i came down just for the slice from a great distance. Even if this money has been earned by me with my own back breaking work, i still wouldnt feel any regret in giving this person a warm slice of pizza to enjoy and savor.
Theres a great number of posts and seperate ideas touched on in this blog post which is great to see, but makes it challenging to address everyones opinion.
Michael#1
ReplyDeleteTalia said that its a Mitzvah to give the person money whether they are going to spend it on drugs rather than food, which is what they are asking for. The problem for me is I don't have as much of a problem with giving the person my money if he is going to spend it on something like pizza that will help him but if he's just going to go out and buy cocaine with it I would rather have my pizza. If the person were to take my money, go inside and buy pizza then eat and thank me I would feel good about myself but if he just buys drugs with it, I'm both down a $1.50 and I wouldn't even feel good that I helped this man. This sounds selfish like 'Im doing it just to make myself feel good, but its also better for the other person because if he is going to get pizza then I will give him money and he will not longer be hungry but if it is for drugs then I wont give it to him because doing drugs will not help his life at all and just make it a lot worse over time. It will make him feel better for a little bit then make his life even worse in the long run and I don't want to be responsible for putting in money for this persons's drugs.
Danny says that it is your responsibility to help the person in any way you can because you don't know if they will eat again. I disagree with this because if the person really needed food and shelter or if he really wanted a better life he could go to a shelter or a food pantry and receive free food. Most people who are asking for money on the street are too lazy or drugged out to go and fix their lives. Especially in San Francisco, there are tons of shelters were people can live, get fed, clean up, and they even help you find a job. If a person really needed the money specifically for food they would go to a food shelter. The shelters except all people who are not on drugs so if you really wanted to fix your life you could go there and if you don't care about fixing it then I don't care about helping you ruin it even more or help you with your laziness. However, as I talk about in the paragraph below, this does exclude people who can't help themselves because they are either disabled or something like that. Being on drugs does not count as a disability for me.
Michael #2
ReplyDeleteAlso, we talked about this in class a lot for me to give this person money would depend a lot on how they looked and how they approached me. If a women with a baby walked up to me and asked for money saying she needs food to support them and is having a really hard life I would probably give her money because for me, there is less of a chance that she will spend it on drugs and a higher chance that my money will go to good cause. Same thing for a person in a wheelchair or with a puppy. Another thing is honesty, if someone comes up to me and tries to tell me this long story about their life that sounds like its out of a movie I will not give them money, but if someone says that they've been having a hard week and tells me truthfully and honestly about without sounding like there making it up on the spot about a few of the trouble that they are going through I will probably give them money. However, as we all know there are a few people that go around with signs that are very honest that say "Why lie its for drugs". These people are usually nice and cheerful but I would not give them money because even if they are being honest about what the money is for I do not want to give anyone money for drugs or alcohol even if they are honest about it. One last thing that matters a lot to me about whether I want to give the person money or not is how they approach me. I hate people who sit outside of pizza places and demand money from you almost like it is your job to give them money rather than it being a favor or an act of kindness. Also I probably wont give people money if they are just sitting on the curb with their head down and a can in front of them because I see no effort from him that he wants the money. I am much more inclined to give a person money who looks decent and tries to to get rather than expect it.
(i had to delete the comments and re-post them because i forgot to number them)
In our G block class many people brought up different points that led to the same thing, how to judge if they really need it. Their attire should not effect or decision making process for we do not know if this is a sign of needing or if it is a sign that they are homeless. Boris mentioned last class that it is a possibility that if someone were to give money, than thye would use if for drugs or alcohol, but who are we to judge what they will do with it? In Self and Other (Pirkei Avot) Rabbi Hillel stresses the idea of if I am not for myself than who will be for me meaning in this case, if I give the beggar money who will give me money or how i will eat the pizza. Ari connected this to air-pressure masks on a plane. You are supposed to put YOURS on first and then help the person next to you.
ReplyDeleteAnother important thing for us to keep in mind is the difference between the practical vs. ideal world. If we were to say that we would give money because we love giving tzedakah and that we are all very generous people in my opinion that would be the wrong way to go about it. Yes, in an ideal world people would always give tzedakah and help the needy but in reality that does not happen. I have said no to countless h homeless people and have not thought twice about it because in reality I'm not going to give them 1.50 for a pizza every time someone will ask me, I cant do that.
In conclusion in the real world and not ideal world I would not give the beggar money, but would say I cannot give you money right now so like Rabbi Goodman said they do not feel like less of a person, they are treated like a person.
#1
ReplyDeleteIn the situation of a dirty, shabby person that says he is very hungry asks me for a $1.50 to get himself a slice of pizza, I would go through many situations in my head before deciding whether to give this person the money. The first thing I would look for is to see if the person is telling me the truth and is indeed poor and hungry. Next I would look if he was on drugs, if he was on drugs I would expect him to use my money towards buying some kind of illegal substance. The thing I would do if the person was on drugs and looked like he couldn’t be trusted with my money is share my slice to pizza with him. I would do this to make sure that he doesn’t spend my money on drugs. It is also very important to me as to how the person asks me for the money. If the person asks me for money in a rude way, I will definitely not give him any money. To get my money the person will have to ask as politely and humbly as possible. It would also help if I felt sorry for this person, things that would help this cause are if the person was crippled or had a baby. The most important thing is this situation would be how hungry I was. If I was very hungry and was craving a piece of pizza, there would be no chance of the person getting my money. I would just ignore the person and continue on my way to the pizza joint.
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ReplyDeleteIn my life I experience these types of situations everyday when I go home from school to BART, but of course I can’t give everybody money who asks for it. So when a person dressed in dirty, shabby clothing asks for some money to buy pizza I’m most likely not going to stop and think about what they’re even going to spend the money on/what their situation is. It’s pretty ideal to stop at every person who asks for something and giving it to them. Although, like Michael mentioned, I am indeed more likely to consider giving money to a woman holding a baby instead of a guy dressed in dirty cloths with a sign that says “Why lie, it’s for beer” (which I see all the time) because these types of things immediately give me some sort of insight regarding their situation.
ReplyDeleteI also completely agree with Ari. There are so many factors that go into the situation and I just do not know enough about the person to be happy about myself giving them money.
That was post #1 ^^^
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ReplyDeleteCOMMENT #1
ReplyDeleteThe ideal thing to do is what the Rabbi's say that the pious person should do. "What is mine, is yours and what is yours is yours." But the practicality of this situation is that you are making a living and lets just say you mow your neighbors lawn everyday and every week you earn a buck fifty to go and buy your slice of pizza. You go to the pizza joint with your hard earn money and someone comes up to you and asks you for the only money you have. Why should you give it to them? The answer is because what is mine is yours and what yours is yours but you earned that piece of pizza and you shouldn't have to give the only money you have to someone who can go out and mow lawns and earn his $1.50. Although I do not know enough about this mans situation to immediately assume he is capable enough to do work.
Comment 2 responding to Gary
ReplyDeleteYou cannot assume whether someone is abusing illegal substances or not. It can be perfectly likely that they are mentally unstable which could be interpreted as a substance abuse. But I agree with how it depends on how someone asks for money. There are some people who beg, and some who are very blunt on what they want. I once had encountered a situation where I was in Starbucks and a man walked in. Clearly he was homeless and mentally ill but he would hover over me and he wouldn't leave until I asked him if he wanted my leftover food and he grabbed it from me and left. In those situations I prefer not to engage in any contact with that person so I can avoid giving them what they want. If he was sitting on the side of the street looking a little bit more humble Id definitely be more comfortable and much more willing to give them my money. I am very generous with the extra money and food I do have, I usually give it to a homeless woman or a person with a physical disability but when it comes to having someone harass me for money I am quick to say no.
i can see from many posts, that quite a lot of people would be hesitant to give away the $1.50, for the fear of it being used on things like drugs, alcohol, etc. this is indeed a valid excuse for kindly responding back, that you are not willing to give away your money. but a point that not many people seem to have mentioned is that, for me personally, i would give the money to the person in shabby clothes, but ONLY if it were very rare that someone like that came along in my day to ask for money. I say this because, i see homeless men and women begging for money off the streets every hour of every day, ad assuming that this person is homeless, it would just be a daily turndown. But if a person were to come up to me once every month to ask for money, i am almost postitive i would be willing to give it away. you cant feel bad and help everyone, its nearly impossible. thats why sometimes you have to find those rare moment, when you find someone being truly sincere about their cause and choose to give them some money!
ReplyDeleteI would think about both mine and their financial situation. If you, being the one with money, are poor and this money is hard to come by and you are hungry and want to eat then you should take care of yourself. But If you can afford to get more later when you get more money, then you could go and buy the poor person some pizza and then give it to them. But also you don’t know their background, they could be homeless, they could not afford to get it, they could afford to get it. But more likely it is that they can’t afford to get it on their own. So maybe if you both are in similar situations you could buy a slice of pizza for you both to share.
ReplyDelete#4
ReplyDeleteI disagree with estefany, mar-ti-ne-ez. i think that it doesn't matter whether you are poor or not, but whether you are in need of the food. If you are hungry, and all you have is the 1.50, you should spend it on yourself. If it is extra cash, and you are just going to eat for the sake of eating, or you are about to get food somewhere else it is appropriate to buy the raggedy person some food. Also estefany’s last pint about sharing the pizza is impractical: no one is going to want to share a piece of pizza with a stranger, especially not a shabby one. You could save them some, but they might not want to share with you, and even if you cut a piece off for them, it is awkward because you were eating from it, and embarrassing for the beggar, which is a big no-no in Judaism.
#1
ReplyDeleteI think that, assuming this person asking for the money needs it and wont be able to get it form anywhere else, in a perfect world the most generous thing to do would be to go with them buy the pizza and either sit and talk with them while they eat the pizza or share it with them. This way i could ensure that they were not doing anything unsavory with the money that i gave them to buy food with. Donating not only your money to feed them but also your time and attention can go a long way when helping someone on the street or someone in need. Unfortunately this is not always practical, possible and most importantly safe for me to do so i most likely will not ever find myself in a position to be able to do this.
Post #4
ReplyDeleteSince we do not know the person's situation, we should not try to assume things about their past or current situations in their life. If we do indeed make that assumption, we might assume that they will use the money for drugs, and that will make us not give them money. I think that if they tell you they need money for a slice of pizza, it is best to just buy a slice of pizza and give them half of it. I would not mind sharing the slice, because they obviously need it more, regardless of the situation they are in. If you just buy the person the pizza and take none for yourself, then one person(you) ends up with nothing. I think the point of sharing the slice is to make it so each person has an equal amount of what they need in the occurring event. Just sharing the pizza eliminates all anxieties and time wasted just thinking about their situation and what to do. It is a simple, reasonable, fair, and kind way of giving.
#4
ReplyDeleteSince we do not know the person's situation, we should not try to assume things about their past or current situations in their life. If we do indeed make that assumption, we might assume that they will use the money for drugs, and that will make us not give them money. I think that if they tell you they need money for a slice of pizza, it is best to just buy a slice of pizza and give them half of it. I would not mind sharing the slice, because they obviously need it more, regardless of the situation they are in. If you just buy the person the pizza and take none for yourself, then one person(you) ends up with nothing. I think the point of sharing the slice is to make it so each person has an equal amount of what they need in the occurring event. Just sharing the pizza eliminates all anxieties and time wasted just thinking about their situation and what to do. It is a simple, reasonable, fair, and kind way of giving.
(This is Yarden Nagar I'm using my brothers computer)
ReplyDeletePost #6
If I was in that situation I wouldn’t buy that person a slice of pizza or even giving him the $1.50. I wouldn’t just say NO I would just be like I don’t have money and leave. Adding to what Havnheh was saying is that you can’t really judge a book by its cover, we don’t know this person, we don’t even know what he’s been through we can’t just assume things about a person that we don’t even know. On the other hand I agree with Daniella because if we continue giving money to people who are on the streets admitting that they’re going to use this money for alcohol and drugs will just make them not stop begging instead of trying to get a job and work.
Jeffrey #6
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matthew that there are factors that you have to decide when you have to give him/her the money of not. Like Nikita said if I have no food at home then I wouldn’t give the pizza because I need it to not be hungry. If I did have food at home then I would probably give it to him. What I would probably do in the situation was to but something cheaper and give him the change so I could help him out even a little bit, because the Talmud explains that ““When a person gives even a prutah [the smallest coin] he or she is privileged to sense God's presence.” Just like Boris, I still want to feel like I was charitable and feel good about myself. I personally would always seconds guess myself if the person is really homeless because the Walgreens next to my house, there is a homeless man that says he can’t walk and is in a wheelchair, but during the day when I see him, I see him walking around normally. I know just like Lara said that you won’t stop to talk to them to find out their life story and to see if they are really telling the truth, I would still give him the change.