Rabbi,
Recently I was at a conference in downtown San Francisco where there were many homeless people on the streets. I was torn by what I felt would be a mitzvah to hand these folks some change and the fact that my doing so just perpetuates their situation. If nobody ever gave a dime to these people they might reconsider living on the streets and try to find help by more constructive means....maybe even eventually finding employment. In the eyes of the Torah, am I doing a good deed by "helping" the homeless by just giving them money or am I doing them more harm in the long run?
Recently I was at a conference in downtown San Francisco where there were many homeless people on the streets. I was torn by what I felt would be a mitzvah to hand these folks some change and the fact that my doing so just perpetuates their situation. If nobody ever gave a dime to these people they might reconsider living on the streets and try to find help by more constructive means....maybe even eventually finding employment. In the eyes of the Torah, am I doing a good deed by "helping" the homeless by just giving them money or am I doing them more harm in the long run?
