Tzedakah

Tzedakah

By Benny

 

 

There are five very important aspects of tzedakah that I’m going to talk about: charity isn’t always tzedakah; the levels of tzedakah; how kids can do acts of tzedakah; how Judaism is related to tzedakah; and how tzedakah should be given.

 

Charity isn’t always tzedakah.  Tzedakah is a Hebrew word for justice.  Charity’s literal meaning is giving help to someone in need. As you can see from the literal translations, tzedakah is justice, and charity is giving. This means that if you give money or food to someone in need it wouldn’t be tzedakah but it would be charity.  However, if you gave your time, effort, or care into your charity it would be tzedakah.

 

There are different levels of tzedakah.  Bad: giving because you are forced to, to get recognition or something in return, or taking away the recipient’s dignity by publicizing your act. Good: giving with care, respect, unconditionally, with good spirits, or giving with modesty and respect to the recipient not making him/her feel small. In my opinion, the highest level of tzedakah is as Maimonides said - “catch a man a fish he eats for one day, teach a man to fish he eats forever.”

 

Some people think that kids can’t do tzedakah, but the are wrong. Not only can kids give tzedakah, but sometimes kids do bigger acts of tzedakah than adults. For example, if an adult gives a yearly donation to a foundation, even if it’s a large amount of money, it still can be less tzedakah than kids who run a food drive for the homeless.  I think that money isn’t always the solution, and that even the littlest bit of effort can be worth as much. For that reason, I think that kids are just as capable as adults to give tzedakah and can’t always rely on money - so that steers them in the right direction for true tzedakah.

 

Not only has tzedakah been a Jewish tradition for thousands of years, but was actually a law written in the Torah. The law was that all the Jewish farmers had to leave the corners of their fields uncropped so that people in need of food could take food without having to beg and therefore could keep there dignity.  Nowadays, not only do Jews do tzedakah in their community, but do acts of tzedakah around the world. For example, the Tikkun Olam project we are doing to help foundations of our choice with our time, effort, and care, to help them achieve their goals.

 

In my opinion, tzedakah should be given respectfully, with modesty, and generously. For example: give anonymously, to show that you don’t expect something in return. Don’t make it public, so that you don’t affect the person’s dignity. And to do the highest act of tzedakah - teach the person something so that they can do it themselves and so that they don’t have to rely on other people.

-Benny

Paragraphs on Tzedakah by Shakaed

1. Levels of Tzedakah

There are eight levels of Tzedakah. This is the order of them, from the least way to the best one.

1) Giving but regretting it

2) Giving, but less than one should

3) Giving, but only because you are being asked

4) Giving before being asked

5) Giving without knowing who you’re giving to, although the person who you’re giving to knows who’s giving

6) Giving anonymously

7) Giving without knowing who you’re giving to, and the person who you give to doesn’t know who’s giving

8) Giving someone something that will help them become independent, for example a job or a loan

2. Can kids perform Tzedakah?

Yes, kids can perform Tzedakah. Even if you give 50 cents that still counts. There are many ways to perform Tzedakah, less extreme and more extreme. 50 cents is less extreme, and giving a million dollars is more extreme. The most important thing is not necessarily how much you give since kids don't always have a lot of money; what matters is that you give, and really mean it.

I think that it doesn’t matter what age you are; a 10 year old kid might know more about giving than a 35 year old person, but people think that kids are not responsible enough. Like at the SPCA, you can only volunteer if you are age 14 and up.

Giving Tzedakah is more than just giving money so we get a candy from our mom each time we put a dollar in the Tzedakah box. We must give Tzedakah meaningfully, and everyone can do it, including kids.

3. Ways to give Tzedakah

There are many ways to give Tzedakah. After all, Tzedakah does not necessarily have to be money. It can also be a gift or an employment to someone who needs a job. You can give money, you can help out in the children’s hospital, you can participate in a walkathon, bikathon or make a raffle to earn money to donate, Etc.

4. Charity vs. Tzedakah

Charity comes from the Latin word Caritas, meaning “From the heart”. It’s giving when we feel like giving. Charity is good on days we feel generous. But what if we don’t feel so generous that day? What happens to the people who need our support? The answer is Tzedakah. Tzedakah obligates us to give our time, talents, or money, on a regular basis, whether we feel generous or not. This way we make sure that whoever needs our help, will get it all the time no matter how we feel on a certain day.

Shakaed 6A

Matts Tzedakah Summary

Charity vs. Tzedakah

Charity and Tzedakah are two types of donations that are very different.

First, Charity is given from the heart and a person is not obligated to donate. People donate when they feel generous. But, the bad thing is what if they’re not felling generous that day. The poor people don’t get their donation.

Now Ttzedakah. Ttzedakah is a donation that people are obligated to do. Unlike charity we have to give old, sick no matter what condition you’re in you have to give. Now I thought that Tzedakah is a bit harsh making us give and give but then I say this saying, “Give with an open hand” which told me that people give feeling happy about what their giving to.

Levels of Tzedakah

There is not only one level of Tzedakah there are very many. A man named Moses Maimonides had thought of eight different Levels of giving Tzedakah. I thought this is a good sequence because it shows the level you are at and it also show how you can improve on giving your Tzedakah. It is a nice way a balancing the ways of giving Tzedakah.

Can kids perform Tzedakah?

I think that is a hard question to answer because their are many explanations of this. Kids can give Tzedakah for some reasons and some reasons for why they can’t a couple of ways kids perform Tzedakah today is school programs Tikun Olan is what we are doing in class and run for kids with disability. A reason why a kid can’t perform Tzedakah is when there is an age limit. Like the S.P.C.A. you have to be 13 or 14. What if there is a 12 year old that can do more that a 14 year old. I thing they should judge on the level of knowledge than instead of assuming their level of understanding by their age.

What Tzedakah has to do with Judaism?

It has to do with our gatherings. Such as Shabbat at the synoggog or holidays like Rish Hashana Yom kippur. Those are all Jewish haolidays wree we jews will give money to help our community. Us kids can do much to help Tzedakah. For example maybe giving a percentage of your Bar-Mitzvah money to Tzedakah. That is a great way to help!

How should Tzedakah be given?

Tzedakah can be given in many ways such as writing it anounamously, physicly helping someone or just putting money in a box. Those are just three ways but thir are much more. Their could be a pesone who phones you and asks you to donate a certain amount. I think the best way is how Marco and that girl(whos name I can’t remember) put together equipment and the girl got to go to Uganda and physicly give it to them that is the best way of giving Tzedaka for me.

Tzedakah

Tzedakah

When I first thought of Tzedakah I thought of donating and charity; but now that I have read over “Tzedakah Giving Justly” I realize that we as people have a responsibility to give Tzedakah whether we choose to or not.

Charity vs. Tzedakah

First I will debate about charity. Charity is only about donations and giving money to funds to help people in need. Sure it is a good cause for the right reasons but it has no meaning compared to Tzedakah. Charity means “from the heart” but how opposite can calling up a charity and donating over $300 be? The answer is obviously opposite, because you only do it in a good mood and from the brain not from the heart. The more I started reading the more I began to appreciate Tzedakah and unappreciated charity.

Now my debate forTzedakah. Tzedakah is a way of helping people in need by doing more than just donating but by doing mitzvahs to help as well. We all give Tzedakah even if we don’t know we were at all. For example a couple weeks ago on American Idol they had a telethon to raise money for kids in Africa. Everybody who called to raise money was giving Tzedakah without awareness. Tzedakah is also great because there is so many ways to give Tzedakah: walkathons, bikathons, telethons, phonathons raffles and many more ways. The mood, age or ability doesn’t matter to give Tzedakah, which is why I like, Tzedakah more charity.

The booklet has taught me so much about Tzedakah and how the Jews have been giving it for so long that I wonder if it would be the 11th commandment if we had one!

Fanny:)

Tzedakah

Charity vs. Tzedakah

 

Charity and tzedakah are similar in some ways and different in other ways. When we give to charity, we only give if and when we feel like giving. When we give tzedakah we give no matter what mood we are in. Jewish tradition says we must give tzedakah no matter how we feel.

 

Levels of Tzedakah

 

Listed below are the levels of tzedakah. These are based on the way you give tzedakah, they are listed from the lowest way to highest.

 

1.  Giving reluctantly and with regret.

2.  Giving graciously, but less than one should.

3.  Giving what one should but only after being asked.

4.  Giving before being asked.

5.  Giving without knowing the identity of the recipient, although the recipient knows the identity of the donor.

6.  Giving anonymously , knowing the identity of the recipient.

7.  Giving without knowing the identity of the recipient, and the recipient not knowing the identity of the donor.

8.  Helping recipient get a job so he/she no longer has to rely on someone else for money.

 

Can Kids Perform Tzedakah? Why Or Why Not?

 

In some ways kids can perform tzedakah and in some ways they can’t. A few ways that kids can perform tzedakah are by giving away items they no longer needed in their house, putting some change in a tzedakah box or organizing a fund raiser to help raise money for a cause. Remember kids sometime can be just as smart as adults and may understand the point of tzedakah just as much as an adult does. Some reasons why kids can’t perform it, is because sometimes people are prejudice against kids and don’t let kids volunteer until a certain age or sometimes kids can’t make as big of an impact as an adult could.

 

How To give Tzedakah

 

I think the way tzedakah should be given is by volunteering to do it and not by being asked to. If you are being asked to give tzedakah I don’t think that it’s a mitzvah at all because it wasn’t your idea and it isn’t coming from your heart. We should not be performing tzedakah only when we feel like it ,we should be performing  it regularly, whether we feel like it or not.It should be a part of our every day life.

 

What Does Tzedakah Have to do With Judaism?

In Judaism we are obligated to give about 10%-20% of our earnings to tzedakah. We as jews should care for those who are less fortunate than us and help them. One reason why a lot of jews celebrate things like weddings and baby namings is so that they can donate part of the gifts to people who really need them. “ We are reassured that jewish tradition will always help us become the best people we can be, no matter what our mood.”

 By: Isabelle

Tzedakah

Tzedakah

Charity v.s. Tzedakah
Most people think charity and tzedakah are the same thing, but they have similarities and differences. Charity means “from the heart”, which is true but people only give from their heart when they want to. So if someone is not in a good mood they probably won’t want to give money. Tzedakah
comes from the Hebrew word tzedek, meaning “justice”. As a Jew you have an obligation to perform deeds of justice.

Levels of Tzedakah
There are eight levels of tzedakah. The two I think are most important are giving before being asked and giving anonymously. I think giving before you are asked is a really good thing. It shows that you really want to do it from you not someone asking you to do it.

Can kids perform Tzedakah?
Yes, kids can perform tzedakah. Although kids might not be able to give as much money as adults, tzedakah isn’t only giving money. Tzedakah is also giving your time, such as helping at a food bank or soup kitchen.

What does Tzedakah have to do with Judaism?
Tzedakah has to do with Judaism because it comes from the Torah. It was written that Jews had to give 10% of their earnings to the poor. Also when you give tzedakah you are acting justly.

How should Tzedakah be given?
Tzedakah can be given however you choose. Whatever or however you decide to help such as giving money or giving time, you should do it all from your heart.


By: Sari Pullan 6B

Tzedakah by Adina

Charity vs. Tzedakah

Before the lesson in class today I thought that charity and tzedakah were synonyms. Once the class was over I realized that I was completely mistaken. Charity comes from the Latin word “from the heart” and that is exactly what it is. You donate when ever you want and as much as you feel is suitable. This is usually based on our emotions. When it is the case that you are feeling generous then charity is a very good thing. Although it may not be every day that we are feeling so kind. What will the needy do on theses days? This is where tzedakah comes in. Tzedakah is realizing that our emotions can not govern our acts. We are obligated to help the less fortunate whether we are feeling generous or not. It is our Jewish duty, it is not up to kindness. Tzedakah may not only be giving money it can be our time or talent.

Levels of Tzedakah

The Rambam talked about eight levels of giving. Although all of these steps are tzedakah the Rambam looks at the first as least praiseworthy. It is “giving reluctantly and with regret” an example of this is when you are forced to give and you try to bargain your way out of it. The second level is “giving graciously but less than you should” an example of this is when you have a very high income and you give what seems to be a large amount to most people but it is not close to ten percent (which is the minimum amount). The third one is “giving what you should but only after being asked”. The next step is “giving before you are asked”. The fifth is “giving with out knowing the recipient but the recipient knows the identity of the donor”. The sixth is “giving anonymously” which seems to me to be the same as the next one which is “giving with out knowing the recipient and the recipient not knowing your identity”. The highest level is “helping the recipient become self supporting through a gift or a loan or by finding employment for the recipient”. I agree that this is the highest level because you have not only helped them once but you have changed their lives and made them self sufficient.

Can kids perform tzedakah?

I believe that kids definitely can. This is because while you are young you have a lot of time and energy to give. Tzedakah is not only giving money but giving as much as you can like time and talent which most kids have a lot of. Kids may not be able to give as much money as adults but they can give just as much or more of them selves. Also kids learn the importance of tzedakah in school so they can be just as informed as adults

What tzedakah has to do with Judaism?

First of all the Talmud introduces us to tzedakah and teaches us about it. One thing it teaches us is that we should live each day of our lives with joy and appreciation but to also help someone else in need to experience the wonderful feeling of appreciation. Another reason I think tzedakah relates to Judaism is on Jewish holidays we do not only read from the torah and thank Hashem for the great occasion but we give tzedakah. Also a way we celebrate Jewish milestones is giving tzedakah. It is also a Jewish custom to give 10% of your income to tzedakah. All in all I think tzedakah has to do with Judaism but anyone Jewish or not can defiantly share a part of them selves by giving tzedakah.

How should tzedakah be given?

It should be given straight from the heart on a regular basis. While we are giving it we should realize how fortunate we and make sure it is not just based on your emotions. While you are giving tzedakah I feel it is important that you are giving a piece of your self that the recipient will be able to treasure and build off of the rest of his or her life.

Meaning of Tzedakah

Tzedakah is something very meaningful. It doesn’t just mean giving it means helping, sharing and taking some of your time to help others in need. There are different levels of tzedakah as the Rambam has taught us. There are 8 different levels in order from the least praiseworthy to the most praiseworthy: #1: Giving reluctantly and with regret, #2: Giving graciously, but less than one should, #3: Giving what one should, but after only after being asked, #4: Giving before being asked, #5Giving without knowing the identity of the person you are giving to, although the person knows who you are, #6:Giving anonymously, #7: Giving without knowing the identity of the person or the person knowing who you are, #8: Helping the person become supporting through a gift or a loan, or by finding the person a job.

A question that has been asked often, is if kids can perform tzedakah? My opinion is yes. Kids do not have to do something huge but one little thing can make a difference. Let’s say that every kid in our school would give around 1 dollar every Friday to the tzedakah box. After only 1 month there will be over two thousand dollars raised! You don’t have to give money in order to perform tzedakah, as long as you give something or offer your abilities. It is a mitzvah just to even take the time and think about it. I also think kids can take action. The earlier the better. Kids can get involved with fundraisers, walkathons or just helping out someone in need. It can be anything from helping a senior across the street to visiting a friend or family member in the hospital, or to helping raise money to build a school in Africa.




Some people think that charity and tzedakah is the same thing but actually charity and tzedakah are totally different. Yes, they do have some similarities but overall they are very different. Charity is voluntary and tzedakah is mandatory (for Jews if you can) no matter how horrible you feel. If you’re feeling really angry you won’t give charity but with tzedakah it doesn’t matter how angry you feel. Some people have made a lot of money so they just write a 100 dollar cheque to some fund. Tzedakah is more than just an action of writing a cheque. Tzedakah requires you to want to give and to understand the meaning of your giving. Tzedakah can also mean taking action and helping someone.

There are many ways tzedakah can be given. It can be in a simple way or a more complex way. You can donate money. You can give anonymously, give some of your profit to several funds, volunteer in soup kitchens and different programs that help people with special needs. Always give tzedakah from the heart and don’t just do it because someone told you to. You really have to understand what you’re giving and why you’re giving it. You should give enough money to a person so he can get somewhere but not to much that he becomes dependant and lazy.

Does tzedakah have to do with Judaism? I personally think yes because first of all tzedakah is a Jewish word. Even though tzedakah is mandatory for Jews, I definitely think other religions can perform tzedakah too. It doesn’t matter who you are, tzedakah was meant for anyone to do for everyone.

paragraphs on tzedakah

Paragraphs on tzedakah

The levels of tzedakah were created by Moses Maimonides. Moses Maimonides was a famous rabbi, author, philosopher, physician and a community leader. The levels are listed below from most important to least important.

1. Giving reluctantly and with regret
2. Giving graciously but less than one should
3. Giving what one should but only after being asked.
4. Giving before being asked.
5. Giving without knowing the identity of the recipient, although the recipient knows the identity of the donor.
6. Giving anonymously
7. Giving without knowing the identity of the recipient , and without knowing the identity of the donor
8. Helping the recipient self supporting through a gift or a loan, or by finding employment for the recipient

I think kids can perform the mitzvah of giving tzedakah because it does not matter how old you are to give tzedakah it matters how much that cause means to you. If somebody doesn’t care about that cause he or she might give less than what they would give if they did care. In the Jewish law it tells us we must give the minimum of 10 to 20 percent of our income to tzedakah. There are many ways kids can contribute to tzedakah like picking up garbage at a local park or give food to the food bank.

The word “charity” in Latin means from the heart .When you give charity you can give as little or as much as you want however charity isn’t when your parents ask you to give half of your allowance every week to the cancer foundation. It is when you give it voluntarily. We are not obligated to give charity but we are obligated to give tzedakah. Tzedakah reminds us all what we have been given and that we have to give back. If you are one of the people that live of tzedakah you are still obligated to do acts of kindness instead.

In biblical times the Jewish farmers used to leave the corners of their crops for tzedakah. This is one of the many ways that tzedakah and Judaism are related. The Jewish tradition requires us to give tzedakah. In most Jewish schools we are given tzedakah boxes and we are tought about how we are obligated to give tzedakah and why. The Talmud teaches us that that even if you live off tzedakah you still have to do acts of kindness.


When you give tzedakah it should come from the heart. When you give tzedakah you should be thinking of how lucky you are to be in the position of giving and not getting. When giving tzedakah the minimum is usually 10 to 15 percent of your income.

-Mikaela

Tzedakah

Between 1135 and 1204 there was a great rabbi called Moses Maimonides. He made 8 levels of tzedakah. The levels were from least praiseworthy to most praiseworthy. Some of the levels are, #1 giving reluctantly and with regret, #4 giving before being asked and #6 is giving anonymously. The Jewish law would like people to give tzedakah from level 4-8.

People should give tzedakah from the heart and not being asked to do it. Everybody is obligated to give 10 to 20% of ones profit. We do not want to give away to much money or we will risk becoming poor. It is better to give time than money for tzedakah.

Kids can always perform tzedakah. Kids might not be able to do giant campaign for tzedakah, but we can give a $1 or $2. We can also raise some money. Some kids even go out and do some charity work.

In Judaism every body is obligated to give tzedakah. In Judaism tzedakah is repeated over and over again because it is important if you want to live a spiritual life. In the Jewish law tzedakah acts as three main acts of forgiveness.

Charity is given from the heart and should but you only have to give if you feel like giving. Tzedakah asks us for giving time or money frequently whatever our age and ability.

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

Levels of Tzedaka:

Giving reluctantly and with regret

Giving graciously, but less than one should

Giving what one should but after being asked

Giving before being asked

Giving without knowing the identity of the recipient, although the recipient knows the identity of the donor

Giving anonymously

Giving without knowing the identity of the recipient, and with the recipient knowing the identity of the donor

Giving someone a job or a loan so it will help him or her for a lifetime.

Moses Maimonides also known as the Rambam defined the eight levels of Tzedaka.

Can Kids Perform Tzedaka:
Yes, I think everyone should give Tzedaka. Of course we cannot give as much Tzedaka as adults but kids can still give money. In our school we are always told to give a little bit of money on Shabbat. If kids don’t have money to give to Tzedaka then they could go somewhere and give people your time.

How should Tzedaka be given?
It should be given from the heart not because someone is forcing you, you cannot regret giving money, time, and clothing. You can give anonymously if you don’t want people to know you gave it to them. You are supposed to give a portion of you income to Tzedaka.

What does Tzedaka have to do with Judaism?
It is related because ,Tzedaka is charity in Hebrew and comes from the root Tzedek that means justice. Jews are supported to give Tzedaka if you can.

Tzedaka VS. Charity:
Charity comes from the Latin word “caritas” meaning from the heart. And charity is meant to be given from the heart, voluntarily. Tzedaka should be given if you are feeling generous or not. We must give Tzedaka frequently and open our hand to others.

By: Sharon Ardon 6B

* Hope this helped you guys *

Tzedakah

There are eight levels of tzedakah. Maimonides said the lowest is to give but grudgingly and the highest is to help a person become self supporting. You can help someone by giving them a job or a loan so they can help themselves.

Charity and tzedakah are similar but not quite the same. Both can involve giving money. Charity is from the heart and given only when we feel like it. This doesn't help the needy, poor and sick who might need some help when you not feeling generous. Tzedakah means justice. It is a duty so we have to give it. It can be by volunteering our time or giving money. 

Everyone can perform tzedakah even kids. Kids can can save their pennies and put them in a JNF box. Kids can can create a fundraiser at their school or in their neighbourhood and donate the money. 

Tzedakah is a tradition of giving in Judaism. It has been around since biblical time when farmers would leave the corners of their crops for the poor. It seems like even though the grain was in the farmer's field it didn't really belong to him. Today we have to give 10% of our annual income to tzedakah and even though we made the money it is not ours to spend.

Tzedakah should be given to remind us that we have so much and that we have much to give.  It helps us make other peoples lives better. 

BY: Eli

Tzedakah

Tzedakah

Charity V.S. Tzedakah

Charity comes from the Latin word caritas meaning “from the heart”, while Tzedakah comes from the word Tzedek meaning, justice. Our booklet refers to charity as being only really good when one is in a good mood but not if they are not feeling so great. What it says about Tzedakah is that it does not matter what mood a man or woman might be in it just matters that they are prepared to give. I think one must give using the best aspects of charity and tzedakah. Combining both would mean creating justice from the heart. There should be no battle between Charity and Tzedakah, rather they should both join together making everyone create justice with their heart. If this is done, the world could be a better place.

People Who Give Tzedakah

In the little booklet on the side there is a little box that says “Did You Know? In the United States the poorest people give a higher percentage of their incomes to charity than the wealthy. Does this surprise you? Why or why not?”

How it Surprises me:
It surprises me because on the news channel and in the newspaper we are always reading articles about how charitable the rich are. For example, Warren Buffet gave 500 million dollars to build a hospital or Bill Gates gave 200 million dollars to children in Africa.

How it doesn’t surprise me:
In some ways it doesn’t surprise me because a lot of poorer people realize that you never know what happens in the future and they know that if their father doesn’t find a job they might be the person begging on the street next month needing donations to survive. So, they might be more likely to give knowing the need.

The Levels of Tzedakah

I do not think it is fair to make a list of the best way to give or the worst way to give. I think that if you are generous people should just say, “thank you and have a nice day” not “oh sorry, that’s the second worst way to give shame on you.” If you don’t respect people who give in different ways than you believe in, then you should not be asking for money at all. I think the levels of tzedakah list should not be shown, because it makes people giving feel badly about the way they are giving because they will look at the chart, sigh and then say to themselves “oh I’m only giving the fifth best way.” I think they should be walking away thinking to themselves that they did a mitzvah not that they didn’t give the best way so that they are no good.

How Should Tzedakah Be Given

I think that it is very interesting how G-D says that I want you to give but I do not want you to give too much. I do not think this applies to everyone though, as would be the case. If you're making two billion dollars a year. I think this is more of a guide line to the regular everyday person, because if you do make two billion dollars a year, I think you're able to give more than twenty percent of your total income. You could give fifty percent and still be able to live very happily, and even give so much that you leave yourself with only one million dollars and live happily. So I do not totally agree with this, but I understand it.

Can Kids Give Tzedakah

I do not think the question is “can they” but “should they,” because of course anyone can do something but should they? I can stab myself but should I? No of course not. Anyways, I think kids have an obligation to give charity. I do not think it is because they will make the biggest impact. Kids probably won’t, but if they do not give now then how will they know how later when they can make a bigger impact on the world? The answer is simple, later they will not know how to give with an open hand and who knows which one of us can end up being a multi billionaire. If children don’t learn to give now, that future billionaire will be giving squat not because he doesn’t want to help, but because he doesn’t realize that he can help.

Tzedakah...What's It All About?

A lot of people have heard of charity but how many do you think know about tzedakah? Tzedakah is something that Jewish people do to help others. What is the difference between charity and tzedakah? Who can do it? Are there any famous people who have written about tzedakah? Are there some rules about this tzedakah thing? Tzedakah…what’s it all about?

Charity is from the Latin ‘caritas’ which means ‘from the heart’. Charity is something a lot of people do when they are in the mood to help someone. Charity is when you give something when you feel like giving and only then. There are no obligations for a person to give charity. Tzedakah is similar to charity but it has one big difference. Tzedakah is charity with obligation. As Jews we are obligated to give tzedakah. It is something we have to do. And why do we have to do it? If we only give charity when we want to then some people will not get anything or only get things once in a while. Since we are obligated to give tzedakah all of the time we can make sure that people who can not take care of themselves will be taken care of.

Kids can help with tzedakah just as much as anyone else. In preschool on Fridays the teacher always told us to bring money for the tzedakah box. That’s one way that young kids can help give to others. The teachers set an example for us when we were young to give tzedakah and then we followed. Other ways that kids can give are: they can give part of their birthday, holiday or tooth fairy money to tzedakah. Most kids don’t have jobs so the only way they can get money to give to charity is to earn it by doing chores or by giving away some of the money they get as gifts. They can also give tzedakah by doing good deeds for others.

The Rambam, who was a famous Rabbi, philosopher and physician, made up 8 different levels of tzedakah. The lowest level is to give tzedakah to the poor with a bad attitude. People who give tzedakah this way are still giving it, but not with a good feeling. The best way to give tzedakah is to give a poor person the ability to take care of themselves so they don’t need tzedakah any more.

There are some rules in Jewish law about giving tzedakah. You have to give a minimum of 10% and no more than 20% of what you earn in a year. These rules are made so that you don’t give too little so that you are not helping anybody and you don’t give too much so that you hurt yourself. You don’t have to just give money you can also give things in your house that you don’t use anymore like books and blankets, your time like when you visit sick people, or your talents, like when you are giving someone help with their homework.

Tzedakah is a very Jewish concept. It is a way that we can show our appreciation for all the good things that we have in our lives by helping others have those good things too.

Tzdakah 101

This essay covers five things about Tzedakah:

 

1.            Charity vs. Tzedakah

2.         Levels of Tzedakah

3.         Can kids perform Tzedakah?

4.         What does Tzedakah have to do with Judaism?

5.         How should Tzedakah be given?

 

1.            Charity vs. Tzedakah

Giving money to charity and giving money to Tzedakah are both great things to do but, in my opinion, Tzedakah is a better way of helping someone than charity.  Charity is giving money and to some people, like Bill Gates, is very easy to do.  All you have to do is write a cheque for some amount of money and send it to a charity.  Some charities are unreliable or keep a percentage of the money for themselves.  Also a lot of people give to charity just to have their name on a wing of a hospital or be put in the paper.  Tzedakah is more of a do-it-yourself approach.  When giving Tzedakah you are supposed to give anonymously and give from your heart not because you have to.  When giving Tzedakah you don’t just give money but you also give people your time.  Tzedakah is supposed to be given consistently.  Tzedakah is not only about helping people but it is also good to teach people how to help themselves and to make the world a better place.  In conclusion charity is good, but Tzedakah is like charity 2.0!

 

2.         Levels of Tzedakah

There are eight levels of Tzedakah.  In my opinion the key to Tzedakah it is not so much what you give to Tzedakah, but how you give it.  What I mean by this is, you could spend three years helping at Canucks place but not mean it and do it because you have to, or help for one month and do what your doing from your heart and enjoy what you are doing just because you are helping someone.  The second way, from the heart, is a higher level of Tzedakah and, even though you are helping for less time, you will be a higher level of person.

 

3.         Can kids perform Tzedakah?

Yes.  Kids can perform Tzedakah!  Kids can perform Tzedakah because a form of Tzedakah is giving your time to volunteer.  I think that giving time is even better then giving money.  You can never earn back time.  Also even giving one dollar or fifty cents is giving Tzedakah if you give it properly.

 

4.         What does Tzedakah have to do with Judaism?

I think Tzedakah has a lot to do with Judaism.  One thing is Tzedakah is a Jewish word and was created by Jews.  Jews have been giving Tzedakah since the biblical times.  In biblical times you were supposed to leave 10% of your field for the poor. Tzedakah has a little bit more meaning than charity, Tzedakah is about giving but also about making yourself a better person, and that is what the Torah is all about. Tzedakah is also a very important thing in Judaism, before Shabbat a lot of Jews give Tzedakah, and it is a part of becoming a Static (a righteous   person).  Tzedakah may be a Jewish thing, but that doesn’t mean that only Jews can do it. Tzedakah is something everyone can do!

 

5.         How should Tzedakah be given?

Tzedakah should not be given for selfish reasons!  In most cases you should give money anonymously, so the person you are giving to does not feel embarrassed or like he needs to pay you back.  That is the reason in the biblical time people would give Tzedakah by leaving 10% of their fields for poor people to take themselves.  You should be giving Tzedakah from your heart.  Meaning you should be giving for the sake of giving and helping or making someone happy.  Another fantastic way of giving Tzedakah is helping them support themselves.  If you give someone one hundred dollars they are set for a week.  If you give someone a job they are able to help themselves and no longer need you.  There is an expression that sums up what I am trying to say: “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today.  Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”  One last good way to give is to give a person Tzedakah before he or she asks you for it.

 

So remember Tzedakah is the charity 2.0!

-Sam

Tzedakah

Tzedakah plays a big role in the Jewish community, as it allows people in need to receive help from people that can give the help. Tzedakah is not charity because charity means giving money, but tzedakah means giving money,food, shelter, jobs, education, and time that many people that otherwise wouldn't give.

Moses Mimonides was a Rabi who defied the eight levels of tzedakah. The best way to perform tzedakah is by helping the recipient became self-supporting through a gift or a loan or by finding employment for the recipient. At the opposite or lowest end of the levels is giving reluctantly and with regret. In whatever level you perform tzedakah you should give ten to twenty percent of your earnings.

Everyone can perform tzedakah regardless of age, ability and wealth. Tzedakah isn't restricted to giving money. you can also give time and energy to help someone. Tzedakah extends from putting a simle on someones face to making someone self-supporting.

By: Marko

Tzedakah

Tzedakah vs. Charity

Tzedakah and charity are two different things. Charity means giving from the heart. You can give as much or as little as you want. The only problem is, is that on some days we don't feel as generouse as others so we don't give as much. Tzedakah is not only giving money. It is time,talent and money. We give no matter what are emotions are and no matter how much we have.

Levels of Tzedakah

There are eight different levels of tzedakah. The eight levels were created by a man named Rambam. He was a rabbi and community leader. The lowest one is giving without wanting to and the highest is giving anonymously. If you give anonymously it means that you don't need someone to thank you for what you donated because that is not the important part. Another very meaningful way to perform tzedakah is to find a person a job. Doing that you are making them able to earn money and they will keep getting it unlike donating a certain amount they will just run out.

Can Kids Perform Tzedakah?

Any age can perform tzedakah. Adults usually donate money. Kids can do that or they could help out somewhere like a soup kitchen. They should always know and understand what they are supporting before they help out. The only problem is that for some places to volunteer you must be over a certain age but you can find other ways to help. All ages can perform tzedakah.

What Does Tzedakah Have To Do With Judaism?

Hillel has a saying that basically means we should always take care of ourselves and others no matter how much we have. That also means that we give what we have. Tzedakah has been around for many years. Some of the occasions we give tzedakah are on baby namings and weddings. We also give on some holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Purim.

How Should Tzedakah Be Given?

In Biblical times people use to leave the corners of their fields to the less fortunate. We still do that today but in a different way. Today we leave a bit of our income and donate it to the people who need it. We should be giving from our heart and not because we were told to. If you cant donate any money then you can volunteer some were.

Tzedakah

Tzedakah vs. Charity

Charity comes from the Latin word caritas, meaning it should come from the heart. Tzedakah comes from the same root as tzedek meaning justice.
Tzedakah is us giving time, talent and money no matter what mood. Also Tzedakah is no matter if we are nice or mean caring or not. We give with an open hand at any age.
Charity is something that has to be given from the heart. If in generous mood and gave something to charity it mean something. If not in generous mood and gave it does not mean anything because it was not given from the heart.
Difference between Tzedakah and charity is Tzedakah is given in any mood. Charity is only given from the heart.

Can kids perform Tzedakah?

Why:
1. Because children have stuff animals and old toys that they don’t want anymore so they give it to children who do not have anything.
2. children at any age can still donate
3. if children taught Tzedakah then they can donate and understand what there doing
Why not:
1. children are limited
2. don’t understand
3. not taught
4. some do not care
5. don’t have time
6. don’t have the effort






What Tzedakah have to do with Judaism?

Judaism teaches us to live each day with good in our lives. That is why many Jews celebrate all sorts of occasions like namings and weddings. In that time we give much to charities and Tzedakah because we have just been given much so there is much to give to others. Plus it connects with our tradition. We give what we have.


How Tzedakah should be given?

With our heart. Also because we want to not because we are forced to. A portion of our income to the poor. With effort, time, devotion and daily. Free willing, thought, ability and generous. With nothing in return. An open heart or hand. A job so in the future they give Tzedakah and help another person like were helped and also so they build self worth in there self again.

Levels of Tzedakah

It should be given without someone giving anything back. Without being asked and free willing. Without regret or sorrow. Try to give anything that you have. Given from the heart, do it because you want to, not because you are forced to. Finding who is in need a fresh new start.

Tzedaka

Why is Tzedaka so important? At first I thought that Tzedaka was the same as charity. But what I never new were the differences...When you give to charity its not that you want to, you usually give when your feeling generous. On the other hand with Tzedaka, as a Jew you are obligated to give ad least 10% of your annual earnings to Tzedakah.

As a very small religion we need to take care of each other or else there will be nothing left except a few Jews lying around here and there. We need to give Tzedaka or else there might not be a jewish religion with in the next month.

The 8 levels of giving Tzedaka are very important or else we would just be giving to Tzedaka as if we were giving to charity, with out wanting to. We wouldnt know the meaning of why it should feel so good to give to Tzedaka and why we as jews are obligated to care for everyone else and ourselves. Here are the levels of Tzedaka from how you should give Tzedaka and how you shoudlnt give Tzedaka according to Rambam.
1. Helping the recipient find a job or how to make money and by giving him a loan
2. Giving money to someone with the recipient not knowing who you are and you not knowing who the recipient is
3. Giving anonymously
4. Giving money to a recipient while you dont know who you gave to but the recipient knowing it was you.
5. Giving before being asked
6. Giving what you are obligated to give after being asked
7. Giving graciously but less than what you should
8. Giving reluctantly and with regret


Am I aloud to give Tzedaka? Of course I am, some people might not think that kids giving Tzedaka counts but I think that wouldnt it be better for a kid with a lot of knowledge about Tzedaka to give instead of an adult who maybe just converted to a jew and doesnt even know the difference between the 2 things? But on the other hand some places pre-judge kids and adults just like the example above.

I dont know if I have convinced my self if Tzedaka has anything to do with Judaism. Sure the word Tzedaka means Justice and come from the word Tzedek. But it might be possible that someone invented Tzedaka a long time ago, and thn a Jew found it and made a story to go with that word. This probably isnt true but anything could be possible.

Excuses for money. In which ever house you go to you'll here kids saying "Mom, could I have some money to get a new game for my wii" or "Can I have money to go to the movies?" but what you'll probably never here, is "Mom, could I have some money to give to Tzedaka?" which brings me to my next point, if you give Tzedaka, give it with will and proud of your accomplishment. There might be an incident where your mom or dad force you to give to tzedaka and you might not want to, thats OK. Its just like charity, you only give when your feeling generous. So if you dont want to give to Tzedaka you might want to consider that were all one nation and we have to take care of each other and even more importantly that some people dont have homes or anything to eat.

Tzedakah Paragraphs

Hey Mr.G. Noah and I made this together.

1. Levels of Tzedakah

There are eight levels of tzedakah. One being the lowest, and eight being the highest.

1. Giving Tzedakah when not wanting too.
2. Giving a lot but giving less than you could have given.
3.Giving Tzedakah because you are asked to give.
4.Giving before being asked to give.
5.Giving without knowing the recipient.
6.Giving without the recipient knowing the donor.
7.Giving without the recipient knowing the donor and the donor not knowing the recipient.
8.Giving somebody a job or loan so they can help themselves in the future.


2.Can Kids Perform Tzedakah?

Personally I think kids can perform Tzedakah because you can give it at any age. If young children give Tzedakah their parents should tell them why they are donating and where its going to. Children have more time to donate to Tzedakah because most adults have a full time job and don’t care about Tzedakah or don’t have the time to donate. In Jewish schools children are taught how to give Tzedakah and what it is for Tzedakah in class as for most adults weren’t taught when they were children. It is hard for kids to collect money for Tzedakah because they don’t bring as much attention or awareness as an adult can and they don’t have as much money as an adult. In most organizations kids are to young to volunteer in a fundraiser.

3.How To Give Tzedakah?

When you give Tzedakah it should come from the heart. Take time to think about others and how less fortunate they are. You should give 10% of your income to Tzedakah. Eve. Charity VS Tzedakah

The difference between charity and Tzedakah is, you give charity depending on your mood, but when you give Tzedakah your mood doesn’t matter. Also you could have any kind of intelligence to give Tzedakah.

5.What Does Tzedakah Have To Do With Judaism?

First of all Tzedakah come from a Hebrew word meaning justice but other religions also give Tzedakah. It is introduced in every Jewish school. Tzedakah relates to a say in created by Hillel. It is a custom that Jews give 10% of there income to Tzedakah. It’s a Tradition that Jews give Tzedakah it started in the Biblical times and it is still going on today.

We think Tzedakah has made big difference in many peoples live and we hope it stays the same.

By JaCoB and Bogey