"YERUSHALAIM SHEL ZAHAV" O//].
FAMILES IN NEED LIVING IN ISRAEL NEED YOU CHESSED TZEDAKAH AND KABANOT ,SEND TZEDAKAH;TO TZEDAKAH V'HESSED(TAX RETURN ID ,NON PROFIT ORG)SEND TO :RABBI JOSEPH Y NISENBAUM -PO-BOX-190350 BROOKLYN NY 11219-U S A-UNITED STATES-TEL 1347 350 76 33-Tedakah: More than Charity From RabbiYour Guide to Judaism. Reaching out to those in need is central to Jewish being. Jews are commanded to give at least ten percent of their net income to charity. Tzedakah boxes
View TZUDAKA GIVE TO ISRAEL Tzedakah: More than Charity From Rabbi benshloush Your Guide to Judaism.Reaching out to those in need is central to Jewish being. Jews are commanded to give at least ten percent of their net income to charity. Tzedakah boxes for collecting coins for those in need can be found in central places in Jewish
homes. It is common to see Jewish youth, in Israel and in the Diaspora, going door-to-door to collect
money for worthy causes.Obligated to Give Tzedakah literally means righteousness in Hebrew. tzedakah is used to refer to justice, kindness, ethical behavior and the like. Hebrew, tzedakah refers to charity, giving to those in need.The words justice and charity have different meanings in English. How is it that in Hebrew, one word, tzedakah, has been translated to mean both justice and charity?This translation is consistent with Jewish thought as Judaism considers charity to be an act of justice.
Judaism holds that people in need have a legal right to food, clothing and shelter that must be honored by
more fortunate people. According to Judaism, it is unjust and even illegal for Jews to not give charity to
those in need.Thus, giving charity in Jewish law and tradition is viewed as obligatory self­-taxation, rather than voluntary donation. Importance of Giving According to one ancient sage, charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined. The High Holiday prayers state that God has inscribed a judgment against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), tefilah (prayer) and tzedakah can reverse the decree.The duty to give is so important in Judaism that even recipients of charity are obligated to give something. However, people should not give to the point where they themselves become needy.
Guidelines for Giving The Torah and Talmud provide Jews with guidelines on the how, what and when of giving to the poor. The Torah commanded Jews to give ten percent of their earnings to the poor every third year (Deuteronomy 26:12) and an additional percentage of their income annually (Leviticus 19:9­10). After the Temple was destroyed, the annual tithe levied upon each Jew for support of the Temple priests and their assistants was suspended. The Talmud instructed Jews to give at least ten
percent of their annual net income to tzedakah (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, "Laws Concerning Gifts
for the Poor," 7:5).Maimonides devotes ten chapters in his Mishneh Torah to instructions on how to give to the poor. He describes eight different levels of tzedakah according to their degree of merit. He asserts that the most
meritorious level of charity is helping someone to become self-supporting.One can fulfill the obligation to give tzedakah by giving money to the poor, to health care institutions, to synagogues or to educational institutions. Supporting grown children and elderly parents is also a form of tzedakah. The obligation to give tzedakah includes giving to both Jews and gentiles.
Beneficiaries: Recipient, Donor, World According to Jewish tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving charity is so great that the giver benefits even more than therecipient. By giving charity, Jews recognize the good that God has given to them. Some scholars see charitable donation as a replacement for animal sacrifice in Jewish life in that it is a way to show thanks to and ask forgiveness from God. Contributing toward the welfare of others is a central and fulfilling part of one's Jewish identity. Jews have a mandate to improve the world in which they live (tikkun olam). Tikkun olam is achieved through the performance of good deeds. The Talmud states that the world rests on three things: Torah,'''rvice to G-d,''nd deeds of kindness (gemilut hasadim).Tzedakah is a good deed that is made in partnership'''th G-d. '''ording to Kabbalah (Jewish
mysticism), the word tzedakah comes from the word tzedek, which means righteous. The only difference between the two words is the Hebrew letter "hey", which represents the Divine name. Kabbalists explain that tzedakah is a partnership between the righteous and God, acts of tzedakah are permeated with G-D goodness, and giving tzedakah can make the world a better place. As the tzudaka va cheesd , the philanthropic nature of Jewry, derived from Judaism's emphasis on doing of good deeds and caring for those in need, is being affirmed. More on Tzedakah Maimonides, often called by his acronym RaMBaM (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon), was a 12th century Jewish scholar and physician. Rambam wrote a code of Jewish law, the Mishnah
Torah, based on the Rabbinic oral tradition. Rambam organized the different levels of tzedakah (charity) into a list from the least to the most honorable.
8. When donations are given grudgingly. 7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.
5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked. 4. When the recipient is aware of the
donor's identity, but the donor does not know the identity of the recipient. 3. When the donor is aware of the recipient's identity, but the recipient is unaware of the source. 2. When the donor and recipient are unknown to each other. 1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or
by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so
as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others. TzedakahTzedakah: Charity in Judaism Charity versus Tzedakah Calculating Charity to Give Question
What is the difference between Charity and Tzedakkah? Is there a difference? I grew up thinking that
Tzedakkah was our responsibility as a Jew, a mitzvah to do. I did a little studying and found out in the
Talmud that Charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined. My students ask
me where is it better to give to tzedakkah or charity and why? AnswerI can share with you some ideas from Rabbi Noah Weinberg, and I'll leave it to you to adapt it to your
students.The Hebrew word "tzedakah" is commonly translated as "charity" or "tithe." But this is misleading. Charity" implies that your heart motivates you to go beyond the CAl of duty."Tzedakah," however,literally "righteousness" -- doing the right thing. A "tzaddik," likewise,is a ighteous person, someone who fulfills all his obligations, whether in the mood or not.The verse says: "Tzedek, tzedek you shall pursue" -- justice justice you shall pursue (Deut. 16:20). There's a basic human responsibility to reach out to others. Giving of your time and your money isa Satement that "I will do whatever I can to help."The Torah REommends giving 10 percent.Hence the popular pression "tithe," meaning one-tenth.) The legal source is Deut. 14:22, and the Bible is filled with examples: Abraham gave Malki- Tzedek one-tenth of all his possessi; Jacob vowed to give one-tenth of all his future acquisitions to the Almighty (Genesis 29:22); there are mandated tithes to support the Levites
(Numbers 18:21, 24) and the poor (Deut. 26:12). Ten percent is the minimum obligation to help. For those who want to do more, the Torah allows you to
give 20 percent. But above that amount is unrealistic. If you give too much, you'll come to neglect other aspects of your life.Of course, don't just impulsively give your money away. The Almighty provides everyone with income,
but it comes conditionally: Ten percent is a trust fund that you're personally responsible to disperse. God
is expecting you to spend His money wisely. If you were running a humanitarian foundation, you'd make a thorough study of the best use of your money. It's the same with tzedakah. When you choose one project over another, you have to calculate why it is more effective than the other. Consider it the "Your-Name-Here Save the World Foundation." Put this money aside in a separate account. That way it will be available when the need arises. And it is a constant reminder of your obligation to help.
There are so many possible projects: the poor, the sick, the uneducated, drug abuse, domestic violence, the homeless. Which one should you pick?Tzedakah begins at home. If your parents are hungry, that comes before giving to a homeless shelter. From there it is concentric circles outward: your community, then your country. (For Jews, Jerusalem and Israel are considered as one's own community, since every Jew has a share in the homeland.)
Once you've defined "who" to give to, what's the best method to do so? Maimonides lists eight levels of
tzedakah in order of priority (Laws of Gifts to the Poor 10:7). Many people think the highest level is to give money anonymously. Actually there's an even higher level: helping a person to become self-sufficient. This includes giving him a job, or a loan to start a business.This is the source of the Jewish concept of a free loan fund, called a Gemach. If you help someone start a business, he can feed himself and