Tzedakah: Justice and Charity in Judaism

Tzedakah: Justice and Charity in Judaism

Tzedakah (צְדָקָה) comes from the Hebrew root tzedek (justice). It is not merely "charity" (a voluntary act of kindness) but a religious obligation to do justice through the redistribution of resources. In Judaism, giving tzedakah is a commandment (mitzvah) as important as any other.

The Difference Between Tzedakah and Gemilut Chasadim

The Talmud distinguishes between tzedakah (giving money or material goods) and gemilut chasadim (גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, "acts of loving kindness"). Gemilut chasadim is superior because:

• It can be done with money or with personal service.
• It can be given to both the poor and the rich.
• It can be done for the living and the dead (burying the dead).
• It does not require the recipient to be in need.

Examples of gemilut chasadim: visiting the sick (bikur cholim), comforting the mourner (menachem avelim), hospitality (hachnasat orchim), and making peace between people.

Maimonides' Eight Levels

Maimonides (Rambam) in his Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 10:7-14) classified the levels of tzedakah, from lowest to highest:

1. Giving grudgingly — giving with a bad face.
2. Giving willingly but insufficiently — giving less than one can.
3. Giving after being asked — waiting for the needy to request.
4. Giving before being asked — offering before the request.
5. Giving without knowing whom — the donor does not know the recipient, but the recipient knows the donor.
6. Giving without knowing who gives — the recipient does not know the donor, but the donor knows the recipient.
7. Giving without either knowing — neither donor nor recipient knows each other. Example: the chamber of secrets in the Temple, where donors left anonymously and the poor took anonymously.
8. The highest level: helping someone become self-sufficient — giving a loan, a partnership, a job, or teaching a trade so the person never depends on charity again.

Maaser Kesafim (Tithing of Money)

The tradition of giving tithing of money (maaser kesafim) — 10% of income — is based on Abraham's practice (Genesis 14:20) and the verse "You shall tithe all the produce of your planting" (Deuteronomy 14:22), extended by analogy to monetary income.

• Upper limit: the sages recommend giving no more than 20% so as not to impoverish oneself (Ketubot 50a).
• To whom it is given: preferably to local poor, Jewish educational institutions (yeshivot), and community causes. Many Jews also donate to non-Jewish causes, especially in Reform and Conservative Judaism.
• When calculated: some calculate on gross income, others on net. Custom varies.

The Pushke (Tzedakah Box)

The pushke (פושקע, from Polish puszka) is the tzedakah box traditionally found in every Jewish home. Before lighting the Shabbat candles, a coin is deposited. Pushkes are also found in synagogues, schools, and workplaces. Today, many organizations offer digital pushkes or tzedakah apps.

Modern Applications

Tzedakah today manifests as: donations to charitable organizations, sponsoring children in Jewish schools, support for Israel and Jewish communities in crisis, crowdfunding campaigns, and food banks. The Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) extends tzedakah into social and environmental justice.

"The world stands on three things: Torah, service to God, and gemilut chasadim." — Mishnah Pirkei Avot 1:2

Recommended reading: Mishneh Torah of Maimonides (Hilchot Matanot Aniyim); Tzedakah: The Jewish Way of Giving (Larry Kahaner).