About Tzedakah

Tzedakah vs. Charity

When you donate to charity, kids our age usually donate by collecting money for a charity, and if you collected the most, then you win a prize. The problem about that is that the kids don’t care about the donation, they just care about winning the prize. Also if you are giving money to a charity you usually only give if you are in a happy mood, right? Well, it is a lot different with tzedakah. When people give tzedakah they give it by working hard and giving their time to it, and they do it because they want to and that it’s truly from the heart. But the Jewish tradition also makes sure that we give what ever our emotions are, even if we are angry or sad.

Can kids perform Tzedakah?

I think that kids can perform tzedakah as much or even more than a fully grown adult. Kids are taught about tzedakah in school, and we learn what it really means and that it’s not just giving, but most adults haven’t been taught about tzedakah and don’t know what it really means and how to perform it. So when kids perform tzedakah, they understand it and they actually know that they are doing more that just donating. Some people say that kids have limitations for performing tzedakah, but even though we don’t have as many resources as adults, we can still put our time effort into it just as much as anyone else can.

What does Tzedakah have to do with Judaism?

Judaism teaches us to live each day with gratitude. During the happy events, like weddings, when we are given so many gifts, we are taught to give back to charities and to perform tzedakah. “When we give tzedakah we remind ourselves that we have been given much and that we have much to give.”

How should Tzedakah be given?

When we give tzedakah we give it because we want to, not because we have to. When you give to the less fortunate, Jewish tradition teaches us that we should help them for a life, not a day. What I mean by this is that instead of giving them enough money for one meal, we help them get a job so that they get enough money to get them going for life, not just for one day. We should also set aside parts of our profit for the needy, but not so much that you will have trouble, and not so little that you barley helped them at all. When you give tzedakah, you can also help out in a homeless shelter or you can get a part time job and donate your profits.

Levels of Tzedakah

Moses Maimonides was a great rabbi who defined the eight levels of tzedakah. They teach us that there is more than one level of tzedakah, and that some are more praiseworthy than others. I’m not saying that the worst one, “Giving reluctantly and with regret,” is horrible, but instead of giving when you don’t want to and if you don’t want, you should give with an open heart and give without the other person knowing who you are so that they don’t feel like the have to pay you back. The different levels of tzedakah help define if you really give tzedakah with generosity or if you give you give it with regret.

Danny