I dare you to watch Daniel Yam’s short film Gift and not be moved. I don’t think it’s possible. The story, set in Singapore, depicts a tense father-son relationship and conveys a strong point of view about what it means to be rich. I wonder: Is the definition of wealth actually not about how much you have, but about how much you give?
On the viral popularity of Gift, director Yam said, “I have learned that a well-told story can resonate very widely and very loudly.” His film explores how generously you can give, financially and beyond. So what about how well you’re able to receive? There’s no doubt that giving to others (be they strangers or loved ones) is central to cultivating a sense of our own abundance — but so, too, is receiving. I realize that doesn’t seem as immediately noble.
Still, think about it: How does heightening our ability to receive well — to fully and graciously accept what others want to give us, to feel the significance of what we get, and to appreciate it — how do choices like that inform the experience of feeling “rich”?
Would this story be less poignant, less bittersweet, if the boy had grasped the art of receiving (his father’s wisdom and devotion, as well as his spare cash), instead of hearing only his lessons about the art of giving?
What does being an artful receiver mean to you? What kind of giving makes you feel richer? And what does “rich” mean to you? How might these be related?
Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers and Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield serves as the President of Clal–The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a training institute, think tank, and resource center nurturing religious and intellectual pluralism within the Jewish community, and the wider world, preparing people to meet the biggest challenges we face in our increasingly polarized world.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi who studied for his PhD and taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has also taught the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs an ongoing seminar, and American Jewish University. Rabbi Brad regularly teaches and consults for the US Army and United States Department of Defense, religious organizations — Jewish and Christian — including United Seminary (Methodist), Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Modern Orthodox) Luther Seminary (Lutheran), and The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) — civic organizations including No Labels, Odyssey Impact, and The Aspen Institute, numerous Jewish Federations, and a variety of communal and family foundations.
Hirschfield is the author and editor of numerous books, including You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, writes a column for Religion News Service, and appears regularly on TV and radio in outlets ranging from The Washington Post to Fox News Channel. He is also the founder of the Stand and See Fellowship, which brings hundreds of Christian religious leaders to Israel, preparing them to address the increasing polarization around Middle East issues — and really all currently polarizing issues at home and abroad — with six words, “It’s more complicated than we know.”