Reply To: Doing Chesed With Mentchlichkeit

oK, real-brisker, now you hit a nerve.

“These people are voluntering their services (you think they have nothing better to do with their time?”

If you have anything pressing to do at the time, DON’T VOLUNTEER. When you are in a rush while volunteering, you make the recipient of your chesed feel very bad. When you volunteer, to give someone a ride, for example, the recipient has every right to assume that you have the time/or made the time to do them this favor. Making them feel like a pain in the neck isn’t called doing them a favor.

“Anything extra is a bonus, if you don’t like the way they are offering it don’t take it. Asking for more is merely being a kofuy tov.”

You offered a ride at 10:00pm, for example, right? So that means I have a right to expect you at 10. I’m not asking for more.

You are talking about a rude ingrate of a hitchhiker. I am forced to rely on the help of voluenteers of an organization who claim to dedicate themselves to easing the burden of the patient and family. I wish I didn’t need their help. But if YOU CHOOSE to volunteer for them, don’t make things harder. Do it because you WANT to help me.