Tikkun Olam Plug

I'm having one of thost mornings in which I can't seem to focus on getting ready for work. I love part-time. It won't be this easy in a few months...

Anyway, one of the major things that came up for me (unexpectedly) on Yom Kippur was the realization of how little I've been able to do to make a difference on the national or global scale lately. I give a little tzedakah (charity) each month and sign a lot of online petitions, but I'm feeling right now that that's not enough.

(By the way, I went to my modern Orthodox rabbi and asked him for advice on giving tzedakah each month. Ideally we're supposed to give 10%, but I've never known how to calculate that properly, nor how to even live after we've given it. As a result, I wasn't giving often enough at all. He said the important thing for us was to 1. Give a set amount regularly -- I chose once per month instead of once per year -- and 2. to choose a variety of causes I believe in. He said that neither of us fits into the category of people who will make BIG differences with the size of our contributions, but that we should still do what we can for whatever values we want to support. I made a spreadsheet for this purpose and have actually given more than I said I would because I felt more secure once I had everything in place.)

So here's the plug... U. recommended that we each make contributions to runners in the upcoming election. I'm not good at doing research on finding where to make a contribution, but I'm learning. I'm trying to find someone who is not necessarily local for me, but who may be in a close race and stand for something in which I believe. I know that possibly half my readership is not American (Hi Canadians, Israelis and Irish), but might I advice you to do the same?

While nonprofit organizations do so much good in the world, if your money can help policy change so that your favorite nonprofits are less necessary, all the better in my mind.