Humanities Homework

1. Spelling charts (five new words) due Tuesday
2. Tikkun Olam: List of 5-10 organizations or causes that people in our class may want to get involved with (with a short description of what the organization does). (Monday)


Have a great weekend!

Book Talk: Fanny

Book Talk: Aviva

Book Talk: Aleesha

Tzedakah by Galia

Tzedakah
Tzedakah Versus Charity
Before we had our first lesson on Tzedakah, I thought Tzedakah and charity meant the same thing. I thought they both meant giving to people who weren’t as fortunate as someone else. But then I found out more about these two words and realized that in Jewish terms there is a greater definition to each action. Tzedakah means giving from your heart. When someone is giving Tzedakah, they are giving it not because they are asked to, but because they want to. Charity, on the other hand, is giving but not always from the heart.

Levels Of Tzedakah
There are many levels of Tzedakah. These levels were described by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon) who was born in the12th century. He was a Jewish scholar and physician. Maimonides wrote that there are eight different levels of tzedakah. The list below, describes them from the least to the most holy.
8. When someone donates unwillingly.
7. When someone is happy to give less than he should.
6. When someone gives directly to the poor only because they were asked.
5. When someone gives directly to the poor without being asked.
4. When the person receiving knows who the donor is, but the donor does not know who the receiver is.
3. When the donor knows who the receiver is, but the receiver does not know who the donor is.
2. When the donor doesn’t know who the receiver is and the receiver doesn’t know who the donor is.
1. The highest form of tzedakah is to help someone get a job so they don’t have to depend on others for money.

Can Kids Perform Tzedakah?
In my opinion, a child can perform tzedakah in many ways. On one hand a child can perform tzedakah just like an adult. If a child has been taught the meaning and the reason for tzedakah, then their tzedakah is appreciated in the same way as an adult. On the other hand if a child does not know the meaning of tzedakah then the child’s actions would be considered charity. For example, if a four year old finds a quarter on the floor in a grocery store, picks it up and puts it into the Research for Juvenile Diabetes container at the checkout counter, would that be considered Tzedakah? The answer is no. This would be considered charity as it is a learned behaviour not an act from the heart. If this same four year old is taught about the meaning of tzedakah, even in simple terms that she could understand, and then acts on this knowledge that would be tzedakah. For example, with the knowledge she has been given, she then decides to sort through a box of her old toys, pick out her favourite ones and ask her Mom to take her to the JFSA to give to other children who don’t have any toys, this would be tzedakah.

What Does Tzedakah Have To Do With Judiasm?
I think Tzedakah has a lot to do with Judiasm. For example, in Judiasm we get taught to live each and every day for the good in our lives not for the bad. So we also get taught to put good into other peoples’ lives. In some of the Jewish holidays we have special foods that we eat but a lot of those foods that we eat on those holidays we also donate to the poor. In Judiasm when we give tzedakah we remind ourselves that we have been given a lot but we still have much more to give.

How Should Tzedakah Be Given?
When this question was presented in our classroom, my first reaction was blank. But then when we started learning about these concepts, I realized there are many ways that Tzedakah should be given. One of the concepts was Tzedakah should be given without being asked. When you are asked, it is not you who thought about it in the first place. Something else that I learnt is that in Judiasm you are supposed to give at least 10% of your profits. The reason is if you give less you are not as generous as you can afford to be, but if you give too much you may not have enough for yourself. A third concept that I learnt is giving of your time not just money. For example, if you went to help out at the Louis Brier, that would be giving of your time. There are many other ways we can do Tzedakah and fill other peoples’ lives with goodness. It’s taking the moment to think about it and then just doing it.


Galia Horwitz 6B

Book Talk: Abee