koberstein
Active member
LEGEND HAS IT THAT THE TACITURN CALVIN COOLIDGE ONCE returned from a church service.
"what did the minister speak about?" his wife asked him.
"Sin," Coolidge responded.
"And what did he say?"
"He was against it."
One might suppose that anyone writing about tzedaka (philanthropy and charity) would run
into the same sort of difficulty as Coolidge's minister. After all, once one says that giving
tzedaka is a good thing, what more remains to be said? Jewish sources reveal that there is
a great deal more.
The word tzedaka derives from the Hebrew word tzedek, "justice." Performing deeds of justice
is perhaps the most important obligation Judaism imposes on a Jew.
"Tzedek, tzedek you shall pursue" the Torah instructs in (Deuteronomy 16:20).
Hundreds of years later the Talmud taught: "tzedaka is equal to all the commandments combined"
From Judaism's perspective, therefore, one who gives tzedaka is acting justly; One who doesn't
unjustly. And Jewish law views this lack of justice as not only mean-spirited but also illegal.
Throughout history, whenever Jewish communities were self-governing, Jews were assessed
tzedaka just as everyone today is assessed taxes.
The Torah legislated that jews give 10 percent of their earnings to the poor every third year
(Deuteronomy 26:12) and an additional percentage of their income annually (Leviticus 19:9-10).
Hundreds of years later, after the Temple was destroyed and the annual tithe levied upon each
Jew for the support of the "priests and Levites was suspended, the Talmud ordered that the Jews
were to give at least 10 percent of their annual earnings to tzedaka
(*Maimonides, *Mishneh Torah, "Laws Concerning Gifts for the Poor," 7:5)
"what did the minister speak about?" his wife asked him.
"Sin," Coolidge responded.
"And what did he say?"
"He was against it."
One might suppose that anyone writing about tzedaka (philanthropy and charity) would run
into the same sort of difficulty as Coolidge's minister. After all, once one says that giving
tzedaka is a good thing, what more remains to be said? Jewish sources reveal that there is
a great deal more.
The word tzedaka derives from the Hebrew word tzedek, "justice." Performing deeds of justice
is perhaps the most important obligation Judaism imposes on a Jew.
"Tzedek, tzedek you shall pursue" the Torah instructs in (Deuteronomy 16:20).
Hundreds of years later the Talmud taught: "tzedaka is equal to all the commandments combined"
From Judaism's perspective, therefore, one who gives tzedaka is acting justly; One who doesn't
unjustly. And Jewish law views this lack of justice as not only mean-spirited but also illegal.
Throughout history, whenever Jewish communities were self-governing, Jews were assessed
tzedaka just as everyone today is assessed taxes.
The Torah legislated that jews give 10 percent of their earnings to the poor every third year
(Deuteronomy 26:12) and an additional percentage of their income annually (Leviticus 19:9-10).
Hundreds of years later, after the Temple was destroyed and the annual tithe levied upon each
Jew for the support of the "priests and Levites was suspended, the Talmud ordered that the Jews
were to give at least 10 percent of their annual earnings to tzedaka
(*Maimonides, *Mishneh Torah, "Laws Concerning Gifts for the Poor," 7:5)
