The Salvation Hotline: How Many Deliverances Would You Like to Order?

The shiny brochure peeking out from your mailbox promises "miracles and deliverances" right on its cover. You might throw away the local newspaper and the ads for furniture and fast food immediately, but a respectable glossy booklet featuring images of holy sites of Judaism, not to mention figures of Tanaim and great sages? It feels awkward. Especially when, as mentioned, the title promises deliverances. Just below the image, the promise repeats; "Donate and see miracles immediately," these leaflets say one way or another.

Many legitimate charities and important Torah institutions exist today. Many people of kindness engage in public needs, and many donations are required to enable their blessed activities. So how do we distinguish between the legitimate and the fictitious? If you've heard about the organization's work or if it's a well-known entity whose deeds are publicized, there are no doubts. But what about unfamiliar names? For your convenience, we have assembled a list of signs indicating that behind the glossy flyer probably stands nothing more than the bank account of certain cynics.

1. Were you promised immediate deliverance and guaranteed a miracle? Keep your distance. No donation works as an instant magic solution to your problems. Charity brings many merits, and there are genuinely true 'I promised and I was delivered' stories, but no organization can promise you things like: 'Call the salvation hotline, donate, and see salvation immediately, with certainty!'.

2. A righteous person who passed away hundreds or thousands of years ago is not an asset owned by any organization. If the colorful flyer drafts the name of the righteous person to explain why a donation to a particular organization will bring you deliverance thanks to that righteous person's prayers, someone is trying to make a profit off of you.

3. Does the organization trying to collect money claim to have a unique yeshiva/kollel/house of learning, where 'lofty individuals' or 'Kabbalists' study and pray incessantly for your merit? Check if there is any information about the exact location of the esteemed institution (assuming you have never heard of it before). If all that is provided is a blurry and abstract photo or an old oil painting of Jews studying Torah, there is a chance that the yeshiva or kollel in question is not exactly what you would expect from such institutions.

4. Stories of wonders and sayings from the great ones of Israel are invaluable treasures of the Jewish people. In other words, if the touching miracle story occurred at the grave of a particular righteous person a hundred years ago, it has nothing to do with donating to an organization that included the righteous person's grave's name in its official name.

5. How many exclamation marks, grand promises, and bombastic statements does the flyer include? The higher the number, the lower the chance that it's a reliable organization. If someone feels the need to produce for you a combination of fantasy books, partisan journalism, and shallow marketing slogans, it's probably because they don't have anything better to offer.

6. So donate, and with all your heart, to organizations and entities that indeed perform kindness, outreach, and Torah learning. But keep your eyes open. Also for the sake of all those who truly need donations and aren't trying to obtain them through improper means.