Where Bickering Is Herd 
Good Buffaloes Not Good Neighbors, Retiree To Tell 
Board

Charles Baird 
Dec.10, 1994 
Charles W. Baird Of Luzerne Towers, Bennett Street, Luzerne, Died Saturday In 
The Hospice St. John In-patient Unit At Wilkes-barre General Hospital.

Monday, December 12, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 10A 





Those in need outnumber the undeserving &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Certain members of the Wilkes-Barre City Council have recently threatened
to withdraw city support to local soup kitchens and homeless shelters, because
of a suspicion that some of the clients of these organizations are not really
so needyPersonally, I doubt that fraud is common. The level of accommodation
is such that it would hardly attract anyone who could afford better. But even
granting for a moment that there are a few unworthy beneficiaries, Jewish
tradition still stresses the obligation to be charitable. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For example, one famous rabbi taught that "the merit of charity is so great
that I am happy to give to 100 beggars even if only one might actually be
needy. Some people, however, act as if they are exempt from giving charity to
100 beggars in the event that only one might be a fraud!" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In other words, we are not to stop being charitable even when we know there
might be a few people who are taking advantage of our generosity. Similarly it
is for God, not for us, to judge the merits of those who ask for charitable
assistance. As another great rabbi taught,

Those In Need Outnumber The Undeserving 
Certain Members Of The Wilkes-barre City Council Have Recently Threatened To 
Withdraw City Support To Local Soup Kitchens And Homeless Shelters, Because Of 
A Suspicion That Some Of The Clients Of These Organizations Are Not Really So 
Needy.

Those In Need Outnumber The Undeserving Certain Members Of The Wilkes-barre City Council Have Recently Threatened To Withdraw City Support To Local Soup Kitchens And Homeless Shelters, Because Of A Suspicion That Some Of The Clients Of These Organizations Are Not Really So Needy.