So Many Reasons to Give, and So Many Benefits of Giving

Friday, September 11, 2026 is when we acknowledge the twenty fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our beloved country.  This year, September 11 is also the Jewish New Year holiday of Rosh Hashanah when we Jews begin the year 5787 in the Jewish calendar.

I just read an article that proposes that Judaism has survived thousands of years because it has so many more dimensions than just religion. In Judaism, tzedakah, giving or charity, which also means “justice” or “righteousness”, is built into living, a strict, ethical and religious obligation. On the Jewish New Year and on Yom Kippur, the holiest and most solemn day of the year in Judaism, dedicated to fasting, repentance, and asking for forgiveness, we give Tzedakah. In addition to Tzedakah, there are rules for humane killing of animals for food, for food preparation, and consumption. There is the Sabbath, a day of rest. I would probably use up this whole blog post if I listed all the dimensions considered, if I knew or remembered them all.

The one important strict Jewish tradition to me is giving, giving to others, giving to science, giving to a cause that is important to me or in honor or memory of someone or something. As my Jewish friends and I get older, we do not want gifts for birthdays or events, we wish for a donation to a charity that we or the gifting person believes in. 

Of course, the impetus for this blog post is the Jewish New Year, a time giving is part of tradition. Moreover, the impetus for this blog post was also reading The New York Times, September 8, 2026, about breakthroughs for pancreatic cancer.

My husband was treated at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and lived five years with pancreatic cancer, a very long time with such a serious illness. When he died, he wanted donations in his memory to be given to Sloan Kettering. Sloan Kettering has just developed what are some of the most significant breakthroughs for pancreatic cancer, too late for my husband, but not too late for others. I know that the donations in his memory that were made helped this breakthrough. It brings solace and peace.

There’s a saying that you get more from giving than just the act of giving.  Because it is now Rosh Hashanah, followed by Yom Kippur in eight days and it is Jewish tradition to make donations at this time of the year, for me, part of the joy of the holiday is deciding where to give.

I just donated to PBS.org on the portal, which programming, especially the recent concerts of Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac, I appreciate. I just donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, her charity, in her memory.  I  donated to Gloria Steinem’s foundation , in her memory. When my friend’s father recently died, I donated to the Jewish National Fund Trees, jnf.org, in his memory, which fund plants single trees for $18 each, rings of trees, or more, memorial trees to symbolize growth and legacy. When my beloved cat, Pepper, recently died, I gave a donation to Happy Days Pet Rescue which is dedicated to saving and rehoming cats and dogs that need homes.  As for additional  donations in memory, I am donating again the Sloan Kettering. I am donating to Central Synagogue, where I watch holiday services on zoom. 

One does not have to be Jewish to add a tradition in your life of giving at the time of your holidays and other times meaningful to you.

It does seem like I spread my donations around, doesn’t it?

I will share a secret that I learned from a dear Kabbalah friend of mine. It is not the amount of the donation that is important. It is important to the spread donations among  charities or organizations.  Pick those meaningful to you, that may  help those in need or develop science that helps mankind or even maintains the environment around us. If it is a donation that is in memory of someone, the spreading of those donations elevates their soul. You enjoy the journey of selection.

If you don’t have an idea of an amount that is appropriate, I will share another Jewish tradition, Chai, meaning life, which is $18. Because 18 represents life and good fortune, in Judaism, monetary gifts and charitable donations are frequently given in multiples of 18. So, think of the issues or charities, organizations, or causes that are important to you. If it is within your budget, for choosing ten different charities or institutions, it is $180 total for ten gifts for an entire year, for you or for or on behalf of others. You can then proceed with multiples of 18, $36, $54, up to $180, $360, or more charities and organizations!

You can start your children and grandchildren on a lifetime of giving, by allowing them to start at an early age with at least $18 to donate to a charity of their choosing on a holiday, and increasing it.  I spoke with my  youngest grandson, age eight, who had an immediate choice and was so excited by his opportunity to donate to Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida.

By giving $18 in charity to something that is important to you or for another, you help others and it will bring you even greater joy, solace, and peace.

For those of you who celebrate, I wish you peace, health, good fortune, and happiness in this Jewish New Year 5787.

For all my readers, please share this post, as that is an act of giving that keeps giving. Whatever holiday or event you choose to celebrate or memorialize, consider adding to lists to include giving, small or large, to organizations and charities meaningful to you or to others.

I wish you great fun and satisfaction in finding meaningful resources for your gifts of $18 or more with

Joy,

Mema