Eric Lund
Eric Lund
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read
Photo by Randy Jacob on unsplash

As I pull my car onto the freeway exit, I see the ragged man with a cardboard sign standing near the light at the top of the ramp. Society’s message plays back in my head for the thousandth time:

Oh, no. I have to face this awkward situation. Should I give him money? Everyone is going to think I am stupid. He is probably a drunk or a drug-addict. My money will only encourage him. All I have is twenties. Maybe the light will turn green before I get there.

The light is red, and I am a few cars back. I fumble in my pocket for my wallet. I roll the window down. I wave the man over. As he reaches my car, the light turns green. I wait. The driver behind me leans on his horn. My choice is going to make him 5 seconds later at his destination. He hates me right now. I hand the man a twenty. “God bless you,” he says. “You too,” I say, and drive on.

The ancient homiletic tradition of Judaism called Midrash teaches that the wickedness of Sodom was not so much the sexual act that bears its name, but that those who lived there “never stretched forth their hands in good deeds.” [Genesis Rabbah 28:5] We are told this wealthy coastal city, had gone so far as to make the crime of giving to the poor punishable by death:

For it once happened that two damsels went down to draw water from a well. Said one to the other, ‘why are you so pale?’ ‘We have no more food left and are ready to die,’ replied she. What did she do? She filled her pitcher with flour and they exchanged [their pitchers], each taking the other’s. When they [the Sodomites] discovered this, they took and burnt her. [Genesis Rabbah 49:6]

It is for this that Sodom was destroyed:

Said the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Even if I desired to be silent, justice for that maiden does not permit Me to keep silent. [Genesis Rabbah 49:6]

I have not yet been put to death for giving money to strangers on the side of the road. I have, however, absorbed the message that giving this way is irresponsible. I feel guilty for caring even this little bit about the plight of another person. I process my interaction with him through a filter of prejudice and self-consciousness. Suppose he is an addict, why should this matter to me? If I were to pull over, hear his story and really try to help him, sure, maybe it would matter. All I will do today is share a tiny bit of my better fortune with him. What right do I have to judge what he might or might not do with the money?

In fact, my interaction with this man is irresponsible, but not in the way our society suggests. I should pull over. I should learn his name. I should hear his story. I should offer him shelter, a meal, advocacy in putting his life together. I should actually take some responsibility for him. Instead, I have given him ten seconds of acknowledgement and a measly twenty dollars. Probably more than he expected from me but far less than he deserves as a fellow human being.

In our rush to go wherever it is we are going and our constant focus on self-gratification: our next Facebook like, pay-check, promotion, reward ceremony, tax refund, we have lost sight of our common humanity. How far are we from legislating self-interest? How far is our fabulously wealthy nation from becoming Sodom? Perhaps we are already there.

Eric Lund

Written by

Eric Lund

Jewish software developer with decades of experience, an English degree, an open mind, and an interest in almost everything — let’s talk!

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