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Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan once wrote, "An Optimist is one who believes that this is the best of all possible worlds, and a pessimist is one who is afraid that the optimist is right. The problem is not whether it is best or worst, but how to go about making it better."
Jewish tradition speaks of our responsibility to "mend the world"; Tikkun Olam. We envision a beautiful garment marred by numerous tears (read either way). In our hands are the needles and thread which can help restore the fabric of our society. The instructions say; "Perform acts of loving kindness and pursue justice," but many of us don't know where to begin our particular stitch, or have the strength by ourselves to pull torn ends together.
A person should be more conserned with spiritual than with material matters, but another person's material is his own spiritual consern.
-Rabbi Israel Salanter
The Eight Degrees of Tzedakah of Maimonides
Moses ben Maimon (Rambam), a wise man of Israel said: There are eight degrees in the duty of Tzedakah:
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First and Lowest: To give, but not willingly, or with regret.
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Second: To give cheerfully, but not enough to help the one in trouble.
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Third: To give cheerfully, and enough, but not until asked.
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Fourth: To give cheerfully, and enough, and whithout being asked, but proudly, so as to make the poor man feel ashamed.
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Fifth: To give in such a way that the poor man knows you gave him the gift, but you do not know who gets your gift.
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Sixth: To give in such a way that you know who gets your gift, but the poor man does not know who gave it to him.
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Seventh: To give in such a way that neither giver nir receiver knows who the other is.
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Eighth and greatest of all: To prevent poverty and war, and so do away with Tzedakah altogether! [That is, help people gain financial and personal independence, so as not to need Tzedakah.]
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