Tzedakah
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Tzedakah (Hebrew: צדקה) in Judaism, is the Hebrew term most commonly translated as "charity", though it is based on a root meaning "justice" .(צדק). In Arabic, charity is "sadakah" (صدقه) and an obligatory type of it, the Arabic term "zakat", is considered to be one of the five pillars of Islam.
Judaism is very tied to the concept of tzedakah, or charity, and the nature of Jewish giving has created a North American Jewish community that is very philanthropic. Because Judaism puts emphasis on the doing of good deeds, one's acts of righteousness are extremely important in living a sacred life. Because the second highest level of tzedakah is giving anonymously (Matan Beseiser) to an unknown recipient, anonymous donations are especially common in the Jewish community.
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[edit] Tzedakah as justice
While the word "tzedakah" is most commonly translated into English as "charity", the word actually comes from the Hebrew word meaning "justice" or "righteousness". In chapter 19 of the Book of Leviticus it says that "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger." 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).
Thus the Jewish concept of tzedakah differs from the English understanding of the word charity, in that while charity is given when the philanthropist is able and emotionally or otherwise moved to do so, tzedakah is an obligation given by God to all Jews regardless of financial standing or willingness to give, although giving willingly is certainly considered better than giving unwillingly (see below). A poor man is not absolved from giving tzedakah. Tzedakah is considered one of three acts, along with teshuvah and tefilah, that gain forgiveness of sin and the annulment of bad decrees.
[edit] Levels of tzedakah
Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah defined the following eight levels of charity, each greater than the next:
- Giving a poor person work (or loaning him money to start a business) so he will not have to depend on charity. This is because the person is now free from having to rely on charity. The giver has not just helped the recipient for the short while, but instead for the rest of their life. There are four sub-levels to this:
- Giving a poor person work.
- Making a partnership with them (this is lower than work, as the recipient might feel he doesn't put enough into the partnership).
- Giving a loan.
- Giving a gift.
- Giving charity anonymously to an unknown recipient.
- Giving charity anonymously to a known recipient.
- Giving charity publicly to an unknown recipient.
- Giving charity before being asked.
- Giving adequately after being asked.
- Giving willingly, but inadequately.
- Giving unwillingly.
Source Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:1,7-14
[edit] How tzedakah is lived
Most Jews live out tzedakah in practical terms 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." However, if this is not possible, the law of tzedakah still requires that something is given.
Special acts of tzedakah are specially performed on certain days. On one's wedding day, one is supposed to give to charity to symbolize the holiness of the day. On Passover, a major holiday in Jewish tradition, one is encouraged to welcome hungry people to the table, for Jews were once slaves in Egypt and should help those in need as they were once helped by God. On the holiday of Purim it is an obligation for every Jew to give two people food which is equivalent to a meal to increase happiness in the month of Adar which is the happiest time on the Jewish calendar.
[edit] References
- Rabbi Wayne Dossick Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice.
- pages 249-251.
[edit] 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
- 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
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