First published on Lake Institute on Faith & Giving

By Danielle Segal, Executive Director, Honeycomb

There are many ways in which giving gifts of charity appear in Judaism, whether that is at a particular holiday, to mark a special occasion, in the memory of a loved one, or if you are inspired by the Jewish tradition of giving 10% of your wealth away*. However, there is a particular spiritual mnemonic for giving which holds unique significance through the power of numbers.

In the Jewish tradition, letters are assigned a corresponding number depending on where they appear in the Hebrew alphabet. This number-letter system is called “Gematria”. A particularly meaningful number in Judaism, when using Gematria, is 18. The number 10 is represented by the letter yud (י), and the number 8 is represented by the letter Chet (ח). Added together they make the word Chai (חי), which means “life”. For this reason, monetary gifts to celebrate milestones or donations to favorite charities are often given using the number 18. Gifts might include the number 18; so $18, $180, or $1,800 for example, or gifts can be made in multiples of 18; so $36, $360, $720, etc. By giving in multiples of 18, both the giver and the receiver of the gifts are being “blessed” with a good life.

The organization where I am Executive Director, Honeycomb, celebrated its 18th birthday this year. For 18 amazing years, Honeycomb has been the leading resource for the field of Jewish Youth Philanthropy. Through training, curriculum, professional development, research, and network-building, Honeycomb is proud to be at the forefront of this amazing field where young people are empowered to make change in the world. Who gives Honeycomb’s work “life”? Who is at the center of all we do? It is of course, the thousands and thousands of teens in our programs who over the years have given their time and efforts to be changemakers. Jewish tradition allows us to celebrate birthdays and milestones in meaningful ways, and the number “18”, reminds us how our lives are entwined with others, the importance of giving back, and how charitable giving can be inspired by– and be a part of– religious practice.

* “Jewish farmers are commanded to set aside a tenth of their produce. This 10% is either given to the priest, to the poor, or taken to eat in Jerusalem. This commandment is the source for the Jewish custom to set aside 10% of one’s earnings for tzedakah.” – excerpt from Honeycomb’s curriculum ChangeMakers: A Journey Through Jewish Teen Philanthropy, page 100.

Danielle Segal is the Executive Director at Honeycomb, and has been working at Honeycomb since 2016. Danielle is from London, United Kingdom, and moved to New York in 2010. Inspired by her love of the Jewish community and combining her teaching, program management and theater skills, Danielle has worked in the non-profit Jewish field for eighteen years as a Jewish educator, camp director and non-profit manager. She has developed countless curricula and resources, including youth philanthropy, Jewish education, and teen leadership courses. Danielle presents at conferences and seminars nationwide about Jewish youth philanthropy, experiential education and teen engagement. She was awarded the Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Service to Young People in 2009.