My father uses a wheelchair and people often speak slowly or loudly when talking to him. My daughter is 15 and she has Down syndrome. People always tell me that she is so cute. My dog is cute. A 15 year old girl is not cute. She is a teenager with hopes, dreams, aspirations and teenage emotions. But she is not cute.
Giving with sensitivity
In last week’s Torah portion Emor, God tells the Jewish people that they need to a leave a corner of their field unharvested to allow the poor to come and take from it. There are no instructions to give to the poor but rather to let them take.
Sometimes we want to give and we feel good when we give. The idea is to give with sensitivity and ask ourselves are we truly thinking about the feelings of the recipient? Or are we just focusing on the fact that we want to give?
Sensitive giving is when we give help when help is needed, support when support is needed and protection when it’s needed.