in this holiday of rough times, a chance to make a difference...

[lagilman]

Growing up, a word I heard a lot in my household was Tzedakah. It's loosely translated as 'charity', but the root word is actually 'justice.' Tzedakah was not something only the wealthy were expected to do -- it was an obligation to help those who have less, even if you yourself have little.

And the highest form of tzedakah was to give anonymously, so that you did not benefit, and the recipient did not feel guilt or obligation to a specific person, but rather felt part of a caring community.

You have the chance right now to make a real difference -- to perform an act of tzedakah. Vera Nazarian, owner of Norilana Books, is in dire straits due to several turns of terrible luck, and this damned economy. She's done everything she can -- now she needs help to keep the roof over her head, literally. $1, $5... the small bills in your wallet can make a very real difference. (and you can check out the charity auction, if you want to put little more money down! Some very nice items being offered...)

The details are here: http://community.livejournal.com/helpvera/751.html And feel free to pass the word along to people who aren't on LJ.

Thanks.