Tainted Tzedekah

So the other day I observed and commented on a small situation of life in the big city. It might have been a "Seinfeld" or "Curb Your Enthusiasm" moment, except it wasn't at all funny. I was walking down the street in South Miami,stopping in front of a coffee place, debating with myself if I wanted to go in, and there was a homeless guy. At least I thought he was homeless -- he was wearing filthy, greasy clothes, and sitting on the sidewalk, propped up against the Starbucks storefront. A pretty, young woman, probably about D2's age, came out with her double, mint, triple whatever chai tea latte, or whatever expensive drink Starbuck's sells that made the working class Jewish kid from Brooklyn, Schultz, a billionaire. The young woman looked like she was headed back to an office -- probably a newly minted MBA type making her way in the corporate world. She saw the homeless guy, bent down, offered him a $5 bill, and asked if he could use it. The fellow smiled, took the money, and said he sure could. A rather zaftig 40 something woman, not at all well dressed, but looking more like she came from a Target and was somehow forced to pick something up on Sunset Drive, and, horrors -- pay for parking to do it -- approached the young girl. "You know," she said, "You really shouldn't do that. It's better to give money to the homeless charities. By giving him money, he's just going to buy booze or drugs, and keep on the streets. I have some social work college, and that's the right way to help THEM." The young, pretty woman was embarassed. I could tell she questioned whether her act of charity was really something harmful. So now I butted myself in. I told her my opinion -- charity was a beautiful thing, and one who questions its purity is the one with the problem. I looked at the large 40 year old and asked her how much money she had given away that day. Her eyes narrowed, and she blurted "None! I support kids, and I can't afford it! I do plenty when I can, but now is not the time. But I just want to help -- and you know what? You're an asshole!" The young girl and I started to laugh, as our rival walked away. I turned to the generous young girl, laughed, and told her her "teacher" was right -- I AM an asshole, and as I go through life, I'm surprised that more people don't call me on that. The girl smiled at me and said "I get the sense you're not." I assured her her act was a thing of charity, of beauty, and she should never allow anyone to begrudge her because of helping others. She walked away. I thought of a recent FaceBook post -- a picture of the Rebbe -- the Big Man to my Chabad friends, and his words: "It's more important to be kind than right." The phrase has long been one of my favorites -- and I never knew it came from Rabbi Schneerson. I thought it was the invention of a LSW Wifey and I met years ago. So there will be the charitable, the "correctors" of the charitable, and the rest of us, in between. Somehow, I'm certain, the young, pretty girl who gave the money to the homeless guy has some positive karma coming her way. As for the begrudger? She'd better home that someone's karma doesn't run over her dogma...