How Much Giving Is Enough?

The Talmud presents a profound moral dilemma:

“If two people are traveling on a desolate path and one holds a jug of water—enough for only one—if both drink, both will die; if only one drinks, he will live.”

Rabbi Akiva rules that the one who possesses the water should drink it himself, based on the verse, “And your brother shall live with you”—your own life takes precedence.

The first Lubavitcher Rebbe offers a penetrating interpretation: this principle applies only when there is truly “one jug of water”—the bare minimum needed for survival. Anything beyond that, he explains, is considered excess—and excess must be shared with one whose life depends on it.

In this week’s Torah portion, we meet our forefather Abraham, whom the Midrash calls the embodiment of kindness. Yet what sets Abraham apart is not merely his compassion, but his willingness to sacrifice for others.

G-d chose Abraham as the progenitor of the Jewish people because he taught his descendants to live by “charity and justice.” The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that Abraham’s kindness was not token generosity but just charity—rooted in self-awareness, in knowing what one truly needs and what belongs to the realm of giving.

The essence of Jewish life is sacrifice—a value that runs counter to secular logic and instinct. Yet it is precisely this selflessness that has ensured our continuity.

When we give of ourselves to those in genuine need, we uphold the moral vision of Abraham and bind ourselves to the unbroken chain of our people—past, present, and future.