YONATAN HAMBOURGER: Why we need to give more than others need to receive

Have you ever noticed how deeply satisfying it feels to help someone else? Whether it’s slipping a few dollars into a donation box, dropping off groceries for a neighbor, or even just offering a kind word at the right moment, there’s something about giving that feels … right. Almost like it was built into us.

Sure, the recipient benefits. Their need is met, their burden eased. But sometimes it seems like the giver walks away with even more: a lightness, a sense of purpose, a deep internal peace. Why is that?

We tend to think of generosity as a sacrifice. Giving time, money, energy costs us something. And yet, those who give regularly often describe it as one of the most meaningful parts of their lives. Somehow, the math doesn’t add up. Unless … giving isn’t just about the person receiving. Maybe it’s about what it awakens in us.

Consider this: According to the United Nations, there is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet. Yet more than 800 million people are still undernourished. The problem isn’t supply, it’s distribution. Which raises a spiritual question. If God wanted to, couldn’t He simply provide directly for everyone’s needs? Rain down food like He once did in the desert? Eliminate hunger with a word?

But instead, He places that responsibility in our hands. Not as a test, but as an opportunity.

There’s a phrase in the Torah, a sacred text in my tradition, where God asks the people to “take for Me an offering.” The wording feels odd. Shouldn’t it say “give to Me?” But our sages explain that when we give generously, we actually receive something profound in return. The act of giving transforms us. We’re not just helping others, we’re becoming more fully who we were meant to be.

One of the most beautiful teachings from the Talmud puts it this way: “More than the calf wants to nurse, the cow wants to suckle.” In other words, the need to give is embedded deep in the soul. Generosity is not just a duty, it’s a desire. Something inside us longs to be of use, to pour kindness into the world, to leave it better than we found it.

Of course, people still need food. People need shelter. But perhaps even more than those basic needs, what our world is starving for is human kindness, freely given, generously offered, and joyfully shared.

And here’s the miracle: When we give, we don’t become poorer. We become richer, in meaning, in connection, and in spirit. We become part of God’s great distribution network, His chosen way of bringing blessing into the world.

Each of us has something to offer. A checkbook, a helping hand, a listening ear. And every time we act from that place of generosity, we help make the world not only more just, but more whole.

In moments of crisis — after a natural disaster, during a personal tragedy, or when someone we know hits hard times — we often see an outpouring of generosity. People line up to give blood, donate money, cook meals or simply show up. These moments reveal something beautiful, that beneath our busy schedules and daily distractions, there is a deep, innate desire to care for others. God placed that impulse within us not just for emergencies, but for everyday life.

What if we could live that way more often, giving not only when tragedy strikes, but as a regular expression of who we are? That mindset transforms generosity from a reaction into a rhythm. It turns our ordinary choices into sacred acts.

This is part of what makes giving so powerful. It creates connection. It reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves. And when we extend kindness without being asked, without expecting anything in return, we align ourselves with the divine purpose woven into creation itself.

The opportunity to give is one of the greatest blessings we have. It’s how we mirror God’s compassion in the world. And it’s how we begin to heal not just the hunger of bodies, but the hunger of hearts, starting with our own.

Yonatan Hambourger is a rabbi and writer dedicated to serving spiritual seekers of all backgrounds on behalf of Chabad of Rural Georgia. Contact him at [email protected].