We read several times during the High Holy Days that "Repentence (Teshuvah), Prayer (Tefillah) and Tzedakah avert the severity of the (Divine) decree."
Unfortunately, our prayerbook translates "Tzedakah" as "charity." Charity is a Latin term that means brotherly love. Tzedakah does not mean "brotherly love." It means righteousness. It refers to the mitzvah of giving to the needy. As Jews, we do not give out of the goodness of our hearts; we give because it is a mitzvah, a commandment. That's very different from "generosity." Tzedakah, Righteous Giving, is one of the three foundation stones of our relationship with the Divine. Our tradition views each of us as having been given a major loan by God. It is our obligation to take care of the poor. Failure to provide for the poor is tantamount to stealing from them since the money originally had been given to them by God.
This is echoed in the wonderful exchange between a Jew and the town beggar in Fiddler on the Roof. "Here, Mendel." "One Kopek?! Last week you gave me two kopeks." "I had a bad week." "So, if you had a bad week, why should I suffer?"
Our rabbis legislated rules about tzedakah. Even the poor person receiving tzedakah is required to give tzedakah to a person even poorer. Giving a twentieth of one's earnings was considered stingy. On the other hand, our sages legislated that a person may not give more than a fifth lest he impoverish himself. Most rabbis agreed that giving a tenth of one's earnings to tzedakah was legitimately fulfilling the mitzvah. Courts had the right to assess a person's earnings and force him to give the minimum amount.
Early on, Jewish communities established both tzedakah institutions and soup kitchens to meet the needs of the poor. If a needy person still knocked on doors to receive tzedakah, it was a mitzvah to give him something, but the major contributions were reserved for the organized tzedakah funds, run by tzedakah wardens, leaders held in the highest respect.
There are numerous stories in the Talmud about Jews being generous to the poor and receiving divine rewards for their goodness. It is a recurring theme in our texts. Traditionally, the protector of the poor was Elijah the prophet and, in Jewish literature he returns to test the goodness of Jews to see if they give tzedakah generously. Jews felt a financial responsibility to extended family members and tried to ensure that even distant relatives were taken care of.
Tzedakah became an indentified Jewish action here in the United States. Jewish families who had nothing to do with "organized religion" still made it a point of giving generously to the poor because "it's the Jewish thing to do."
This High Holy Day season, let's continue this very Jewish tradition. Let's bring food for the Chino Valley Food Bank, which will collect our tzedakah after Yom Kippur services. Let's select our philanthropic organization(s) and give generously. Most important, let's make a point of letting our children and grandchildren know about our giving. I know we're modest and a little embarrassed about such things, but it's important to be a role model. If our children and grandchildren don't see us giving tzedakah regularly, they won't know to do it themselves. Families can set up tzedakah boxes, collect the monies and then, as a family (including the little ones!) decide where to give the tzedakah. Tzedakah is one our most important Jewish rituals. Let's give religiously.
Robyn, Kivie, Shira, Aviva, Shira, and ZZ join me in wishing you a Shanah Tovah, a good year.
