True Giving

Historically, Jews treated their wisdom in a vastly different way from other nations. In Egypt, for example, knowledge and scientific progress were the exclusive domain of an intellectual elite. The masses obeyed them with blind action. By contrast, immediately when the Jewish people became a nation, G-d’s first action was to give the Torah to all the Jews, of all generations, equally.

In this vein, when it comes to the spiritual wealth G-d grants a person through Torah, one must share it – and share it generously – in a way that permeates one’s entire environment. Jewish law mandates that anyone who has the ability and the knowledge is obligated to teach Torah to every person he can reach. This includes teaching through action, for when one behaves appropriately in one’s daily life, he or she becomes a role model – a teaching – to the world around them.