Is there a hierarchy that ranks charitable acts?
Maimonides, a 12th century Torah scholar, suggested that there are eight such levels:
- Level 8 — The donor is pained by the act of giving
- Level 7 — The donor gives less than he should but does so cheerfully
- Level 6 — The donor gives after being solicited
- Level 5 — The donor gives without being solicited
- Level 4 — The recipient knows the donor but the donor does not know the recipient
- Level 3 — The donor knows the recipient but the recipient does not know the donor
- Level 2 — Neither the donor nor the recipient knows the other
- Level 1 — The donor gives the recipient the wherewithal to become self-supporting
I encourage you to consider these levels in the context of the acts of kindness bestowed on McIntyre. For extra credit, I encourage you to consider these eight levels from a personal standpoint.
What reflection/evaluation do you make?
