The statement "when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" warns against

This teaching comes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-4), where Jesus addressed the practice of giving alms. In verse 2, He condemned the hypocrites who "sound a trumpet" before giving, seeking praise from onlookers. He then instructed His followers in verse 3: "when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

The metaphor of the left hand not knowing what the right hand does is a vivid expression of complete secrecy. It means giving should be so private that it is almost hidden from oneself. The underlying warning is against making a public display of charitable giving - specifically, the practice of blowing trumpets when giving alms, which Jesus directly condemned in the same passage as the behaviour of hypocrites who give "in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others" (Matthew 6:2).

The purpose of this teaching is that charitable giving should be motivated by genuine compassion, not by a desire for public recognition. God, who sees in secret, will reward such sincere giving (Matthew 6:4).