Tzedakah

Tzedakah (Hebrew: צדקה) is a Hebrew word most commonly translated as charity, though it is based on a root meaning justice (צדק). In Judaism, tzedakah refers to the religious obligation to perform charity, and philanthropic acts, and is considered an especially important value in Judaism; according to Maimonides, giving anonymously (Matan Beseiser) is a superior form of charity.

It and has led to high levels of philanthropy in the Jewish community, even among its less religiously traditional segments, and anonymous donations are especially common in the Jewish community. The Arabic word "sadaqah" (صدقه) is similarly used to denote charity.

Unlike philanthropy, which is completely voluntary, tzedakah is seen as a religious obligation, which must be performed regardless of financial standing, and must even be performed by the poor; tzedakah is considered to be one of the three main acts that grant forgiveness of sin, and the annulment of bad decrees.

Tzedakah as justice

According to the Holiness Code of the Torah, farmers should leave the corners of their fields unharvested, and they should not attempt to harvest any left-overs that had been forgotten when they had harvested the majority of a field; in vineyards, some grapes should be left ungathered. According to the Holiness Code, these things should be left for the poor and for strangers

In rabbinical literature of the classical and Middle Ages

In Judaism, it is believed that God is the owner of all things and that an owner of a field is only its temporary guardian or steward of the land and the goods which it produces and that in this passage, God requires the steward to give a portion of what he has been given charge of to those in need. What's more, in this passage, the food is left for the needy to gather in dignity that which God gives to them rather than requiring the poor to beg for what the owner of the field will decide to give them. For this reason, giving anonymously to an unknown recipient is considered to be the second highest form of tzedakah (see below).

Maimonides was driven to enumerate the forms of charity, from the greatest to the most weak:

1. Giving a pauper independence so that they will not have to depend on charity. Maimonides enumerates four forms of this, from the greatest to the weakest:
   1. Giving a poor person work.
   2. Making a partnership with them (this is lower than work, as the recipient might feel he doesn't put enough into the partnership).
   3. Giving a loan.
   4. Giving a gift.
2. Giving charity anonymously to an unknown recipient.
3. Giving charity anonymously to a known recipient.
4. Giving charity publicly to an unknown recipient.
5. Giving charity before being asked.
6. Giving adequately after being asked.
7. Giving willingly, but inadequately.
8. Giving unwillingly.

In Practice

In practice, most Jews carry out tzedakah by donating a portion of their income to charitable institutions, or to a needy person that they may encounter.

The fourteenth chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy says that "You shall set aside every year a tenth part of all the yield of your sowing that is brought from the field."

The perception among many modern day Jews is that if donation of this form is not possible, the obligation of tzedakah still requires that something is given.

Special acts of tzedakah are performed on significant days; at weddings, Jewish brides and bridegrooms would traditionally give to charity, to symbolise the sacred character of the marriage; at Passover, a major holiday in Jewish tradition, it is traditional to be welcoming towards hungry strangers, and feed them at the table; at Purim, in Orthodox Judaism, it is considered obligatory for every Jew to give food to two other people, in an amount that would equate to a meal each, for the purpose of increasing the total happiness during the month.

See also

• sadaqah (In Islam)
• Social justice

References

• Rabbi Wayne Dossick Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice.

pages 249-251.

• Judaism 101

External links

• Hands on Tzedakah - US charity linking donors with projects in order to personalize the act of tzedakah
• Colel Chabad - Charity organization in Israel
• Hazon Yeshaya - Lifting Israel out of despair
• Just Tzedakah: A US Tzedakah Resource Site
• My Special Pushka: Teaching Children About the Importance of Tzedakah
• Tzedakah - Charity in Judaism at chabad.org
• Tzedakah at Judaism 101
• Meir Panim