The Tzedakah in Judaism: Theory and Practice
A concern with justice, with fairness, has always been at the heart of Judaism, from the very moment when Abraham questioned G-d over the morality of destroying a whole city for its wickedness lest there should prove to be even just ten righteous men or women residing there. This passion for balanced dealings is what lead Talmudic scholars to sanction Jewish farmers from yoking oxen with horses for ploughing the field, for being stronger it is evident that an ox would always have to do most of the work. It is a similar sense of responsibility that informs Jewish notions of the tzedakah, or religiously prescribed donations to charity.
In fact, the Hebrew word “tzedakah” literally means “justice,” “righteousness,” but has come to refer to the cultural practice – indeed, the cultural institution – of setting aside income for purposes of charitable contribution. Performing tzedakah is considered a moral duty, such that tradition holds that the act is one of only three kinds that may mitigate any divine decree. Thus it is that even criminals will give to charity in the hopes of actually annuling heavenly judgment!
Such superstition aside, at the heart of tzedakah is a sense of social responsibility and social justice. Judaism teaches that all men are brothers – then asks, why does my brother not fare as well as me? From this simple yet not-easy-to-answer question comes the rabbis’ injunction to provide for others as a matter of course. And so performing tzedakah is so common in the Jewish community that two kinds of tzedakah have developed: the original religious motivated sort and one done to mark important occasions such as bar mitzvahs or high holy days like Pesach. This latter category returns a sense of individual free will to the act of giving, while the former remains an important aspect of the Jewish way of life – so important, in fact, that even the poor are commanded to give, as they are able, so that one need not be a Robert Toussie in order to help out.
So it’s a great idea in theory, to take a charitable (no pun intended) view of things. Of course, one can be a cynic and wonder whether it truly makes any sense to have even the poor donate. What are they going to do, give a few bucks? Then again, it’s the thought that counts here, obviously, and looking at it in any other way misses the whole point.
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