Rambam's Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why It Is Necessary to Give

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761128093 ISBN 13: 9780761128090

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, 2003

The Eight Steps of Giving

Nearly a thousand years ago the great philosopher and physician Maimonides, known to Hebrew scholars as Rambam, pondered the question of righteousness Out of it came the Ladder of Charity.

Rambam's Ladder, written by Julie Salamon, the bestselling author and New York Times culture writer, is a book that will inspire every reader to get a toehold on the ladder and start climbing. In eight chapters, one for each rung, the book helps us navigate the world of giving. How much to give? How do we know if our gifts are being used wisely? Is it bettter to give anonymously? Along the way, Rambam's Ladder will help all of us make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better.

Book Description:

How do we become better people? Through helping others. Nearly a thousand years ago the Jewish philosopher and physician Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, known to the Greeks as Maimonides and to Hebrew scholars as Rambam, gave much thought to righteousness. Out of his philosophical exploration came what is known as the Ladder of Charity, an elegantly simple half-page of wisdom spelling out the eight steps of giving. Written with compassion and common sense, the rules are as vital today as they were in the 12th century.Julie Salamon, the bestselling author and New York Times culture writer, makes the 1,000-year-old wisdom come alive in Rambam's Ladder, a short, inspirational book that motivates every reader to get a toehold on the ladder and start climbing, from the bottom rung--To give begrudgingly, as we often will to a panhandler--to the top, where the gift is such that the receiver becomes self-reliant. In eight chapters, one for each rung, the book helps us navigate the world of giving. How much to give? How do we know if our gifts are being used wisely?Is it better to give anonymously? If giving overly benefits the giver, is it somehow corrupt? And it reminds us of the deep vein of charity and goodness that runs through America. With interviews of foundation presidents and small-business owners, multi-millionaires and the homeless who poured out of a Bowery shelter on 9/11 to help straggling survivors, Rambam's Ladder is an uplifting book with a timeless message: give better, and live better.

About the Author:

Julie Salamon, a culture writer and critic for The New York Times since May 2000, has also been a reporter and film critic for The Wall Street Journal. Her journalism has appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Bazaar, and The New Republic. Salamon is the author of six books, White Lies, a novel; The Devil's Candy, a study of Hollywood film making gone awry; The Net of Dreams, a family memoir; The Christmas Tree, a novella that was a New York Times best-seller; and Facing the Wind. Salamon received a B.A. degree from Tufts University and a J.D. degree from New York University Law School. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.