Giving V taking. The other side of the coin.

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 4:58 pm

There was a thread from a post-partum Mom thanking a lady she was acquainted for helping her with Yom tov cooking. It was indeed impressive, but one thing she said made me think.. She said the woman made her feel SHE was doing HER the favour for 'allowing her' to help.

I've been in a position when I've cooked for people, and yes, it was a huge favour for me! We all like to give, but sometimes Hashem creates a situation in which we are the takers. Pesach last year we were struggling financially. We are zoche to live in a town with Tomchei Shabbos, of which we were the recipients. It was humbling, it was hard, but we were so grateful.

I was talking to a friend who is in the same boat, we commiserated together-no-one likes to take-and we said be'H one day we hope to be in the position to pay it forward. I called her later that day and said 'Who said we have to wait till we can afford to pay for groceries to give, maybe we can give ma'aser of our time!'

And so it was. I found a family who had a sick child and needed some help with cooking. She made a delivery from the supermarket with fish, meat and other groceries and had it delivered to my house. I made her few batches of soup, kugels, fish and meat and sent it over. She couldn't stop thanking me, but I often think 'who helped who?' She made me feel like a giver, even while being a taker!

In an interesting twist, her order arrived with my TS delivery. TS deliver via a regular supermarket, with the produce, meat and fish etc being by their regular delivery boy, with even the kids of the recipients knowing it's from TS. And the 2 orders just 'happened' to come together!