11/28/2025
This week in parshat Vayeitzei, Yaakov makes the first recorded commitment to ongoing giving in all of the Torah. But what’s most striking is *when* he makes it.
He makes this pledge right after waking up alone in the wilderness, using a rock as a pillow, with no family, no safety, and no plan for what comes next. It’s a moment of fear, uncertainty, and total vulnerability – the kind of moment when most of us would hold on tightly to whatever we have.
And yet Yaakov chooses that moment to vow that a tenth of everything he receives will be given away. He promises it when he has nothing. Not as a one-time gesture, but as an ongoing commitment: “Of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth.” (And yes, a recurring donation feels strangely on brand for the parsha before Giving Tuesday...)
His single choice becomes one of the foundations for the Jewish tradition of ma’aser – the practice of giving a tenth of one’s earnings to tzedakah (charity) every year. It’s a tradition that has shaped Jewish communal life for thousands of years.
This parsha teaches us that you don’t have to have everything figured out to make a big difference. Sometimes the most meaningful giving happens precisely when the world feels unsteady – because that is when our generosity holds the most power.
As we approach Giving Tuesday in just a few days, please keep JQY in mind. Even as the world feels like it’s falling apart, we need your help to build a safer, more loving world for our youth.
