“netina” - נתינה

The goal:

To understand, that the giving is something, that you can’t leave without it, and you have to have it. Each one has the Midah of “Netina” , in himself, but you can make your Midah much bigger. It all depends on you.

The steps:

Start your Peula, with reading the story that Anne Frank wrote.

“Give” / By Anne Frank

I wonder if any of the people sitting in warm, comfortable homes have any idea what it must be like to be a begger? All right, everyone gives a beggar a few pennies now and then. But they are usually pushed hurriedly into his hands, and the door is closed with a bang. And what is more, the generous donor usually shudders at having to touch such a dirty hand. Is it true, or isn’t it? And then people are surprised that beggars become so rude. Wouldn’t anyone, who was treated more like a beast than a human being?

Everyone is born the same, everyone has to die, and nothing remains of their worldly glory. Why do people cling so desperately to these passing things? Why can’t people who have more then they need for themselves give that surplus to their fellow citizens? Why should some people have such a hard time during their few years on this earth?

The true greatness of a person does not lie in riches or power, but in character and goodness. Everyone is human, everyone has his fault, but everyone is born with a great deal that is good in him. And if one were to begin by encouraging the good, instead of smothering it, by giving poor people the feeling that they are human beings too, one would not even need money or possessions to do this.

Everything begins with the little things. For instance, say you are sorry if you step on a poor person’s toes as you would for someone rich. Be the one to set the good example, then it won’t be long before others follow. More and more people will become friendly and generous, until finelly poor people will not be looked down upon any more.

How lovely to think that we can start now, start slowly changing the world!

How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make his contribution toward introducing justice right away! Open your eyes, first make sure that you are always fair yourselfs. Give of yourself, give as much as you can! And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness! If everyone were to do this, then there would be much more justice and love in the world.

Give and you shall receive much more than you would have ever thought possible. Give, give again and again, don’t lose courage, keep it up and go on giving!

No one has ever become poor from giving!

If you do this, then in a few generations no one will need to pity the beggar children any more, because they will not exist!

There is plenty of room for everyone in the world, enough money, riches, and beauty for all to share!

God has made enough for everyone!

Let us all begin then by sharing it fairly” .

After reading this story, make a discussion with your Chanichim:

• How can it be, that Anne Frank that lived 50 years ago, wrote about problems that were in her generation, and we know them also in our generation?
• The problems are still here? . We can understand, that the problems will keep to be here, until each one of us will do something to change it. What things can each take on himself, and do it for make the world better?

Divide your Chanichim to three groups. Each group will get the same questions, but each group would have to answer the questions according to the type of person they are.

 Types of persons:

• Don’t give, and don’t get from others.
• Always can get, but don’t give all the time.
• Always give, and always get.

The questions:

• Your best friend asked from you 20$. You remember, that last time you gaved someone 5$ he didn’t gave you back your money. What should you do with your friend now?
• Your teacher asked you to help a student, with the lessons, and his homework, because he loosed a couple of days in school. You had bad time in the lesson now, and you really want to go outside, to have fresh air, what should you do?
• You have a birthday! Your best friend want’s to take you out, and to buy you an ice-cream. You are going out, and having fun. When she has a birthday you are thinking what to do for her. You don’t have a-lot of money, what would you do?

After each of the groups answered the questions according to her person, decide together which person, is the “perfect” one.

Of course everyone will say that the third type of person, is the “perfect” one, and everyone want’s to be like him. The question is “How can we became a person that gives, and gives, and not only get? “

It’s very hard. We need to work on it every single moment. Every-way we will look, there are things to do, even it’s only a smile, or even it’s only little thing. The little things are the most important things.

Tell your Chanichim this short story:

“Once upon a time, there was a big professor, that worked in a big company. He was married, and had one little boy. One day, his son came back from school, and he told his parents, that his teacher gave them a test: To write about your parents job, and to find something in their job, that make the world better.

The next-day, the son came with hid father to his work, and saw what he does all day. He works on the computer, he answering important phone calls, and thinks about how to make good computers.

The son was very surprised. He never knew, that these are the things his father does.

When the son was boring already, his father gave him to build the puzzle of the world. “It will make you busy until we will go back home” , said the father.

After 15-muinets, the son comes to his father, and calls him to see his puzzle.

“How you finished this big puzzle already? “ asks the father, “I’m surprised” .

The father comes, and he see a puzzle of the human-being. “What happened to the puzzle of the world? “ , asks the father.

“I couldn’t build the world. It was too complicated for me, daddy” , says the son.

“I turned the puzzle to his other side, and I saw, a puzzle of the human-being, and I understood, that I can’t build the world, I can build only myself” .

For a conclusion:

If  we want to change the world, we have to change our self, first. When each one of us, will work on his Midot, the world will be much prettier, and good.

This sentence, can be the conclusion for your Peula:

“We think, we give to the one we love. But the truth is, we love the one we give to”