Tzedakah (Hebrew: צדקה) is a Hebrew word most commonly translated as charity, though it is based on a root meaning justice (צדק, tzedek). In Judaism, tzedakah refers to the religious obligation to perform charity, and philanthropic acts, which Judaism emphasises are important parts of living a spiritual life; Jewish tradition argues that the second highest form of tzedakah is to anonymously give donations to unknown recipients. 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.
In rabbinical literature of the classical and Middle Ages
In classical rabbinical literature, it was argued that the biblical regulations concerning left-overs only applied to corn fields, orchards, and vineyards, and not to vegetable gardens[Jewish Encyclopedia]; the classical rabbinical writers were much stricter in regard to who could receive the remains. It was stated that the farmer was not permitted to benefit from the gleanings, and was not permitted to discriminate among the poor, nor try to frighten them away with dogs or lions[Hullin 131a][Pe\'ah 5:6][Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, 4:11]; the farmer was not even allowed to help one of the poor to gather the left-overs[ibid]. However, it was also argued that the law was only applicable in Canaan[Pe\'ah 2:5 (Jerusalem Talmud) ], although many classical rabbinical writers who were based in Babylon observed the laws there[Hullin 134b][Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, 1:14]; it was also seen as only applying to Jewish paupers, but poor non-Jews were allowed to benefit for the sake of civil peace[Gittin 59b]
Despite the narrowness of the law\'s interpretation, it was perceived as encouraging charity; giving anonymously to an unknown recipient came to be considered the second highest form of tzedakah, since the regulation allows the poor to gather food in a dignified manner, rather than having to beg for it. Maimonides was driven to enumerate the forms of charity, from the greatest to the most weak[Maimonides, Mishneh Torah Hilchos Matanos Aniyim 10:1, 10:7-14]:
- Giving a pauper independence so that he will not have to depend on charity. Maimonides enumerates four forms of this, from the greatest to the weakest:
- Giving a poor person work.
- Making a partnership with him or her (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.
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 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.
As for the more limited form of tzedakah expressed in the biblical laws, namely the leaving of gleanings from certain crops, the Shulchan Aruk argues that Jewish farmers are no longer obliged to obey it[Shulchan Aruk, Yoreh De\'ah 332:1]. Nevertheless, in modern Israel, rabbis of Orthodox Judaism insist that Jews allow gleanings to be consumed by the poor and by strangers, during Sabbatical years[BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Israel prepares for \'fallow\' new year].
See also
References
Bibliography
- Rabbi Wayne Dossick, Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice., pages 249-251.
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
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