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Tzedakah comes from the word tzedek, which means justice. Tzedakah is not giving charity on a whim: it is donating money or things of value to people who need them, in order to make a just world. It is akin to distributive justice, acting on the idea that no one should be left without the basic needs to live a dignified existence.
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your poor brother. Rather be open-handed and freely lend him whatever he needs… Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart… I command you to be open-handed towards your brothers and towards the poor and needy in the land.
Deuteronomy 15:7–11
According to the Sages, ‘whatever he needs’ includes food, housing, basic furniture and, if necessary, money to pay for a wedding. For centuries, each Jewish community ran an organised tzedakah system: a tamchui, a kind of mobile kitchen, and a kuppah, a community chest for the poor, distributing money weekly and setting aside funds for clothing, dowries and burial costs.
What matters is not how much you give, but how you do so. Anonymity in the giving of aid is essential to dignity. The poor must not be embarrassed. The rich must not be allowed to feel superior. We give, not to take pride in our generosity, still less to emphasize the dependency of others, but because we belong to a covenant of human solidarity.
To Heal a Fractured World, Rabbi Sacks (p.38)
Ten ways to practise Tzedakah
1 Give away a bag of clothes you never wear
Next time you are choosing what to wear, take an extra 30 seconds and pick out one or two things from your wardrobe you haven’t worn in ages, and give them to someone who definitely will.
If you have children, you’ll know how quickly they grow. Make up a bag of clothes they’ve outgrown and send them to children who need them.
Where to take your clothes
- All Aboard sell good-quality second-hand clothes in their shops; the proceeds go to Jewish and wider sector charities. They can arrange collections in your area. www.allaboardshops.com
- Emunah UK run an online eBay shop selling designer women’s clothing and accessories. www.emunahuk.org
2 Donate your hair to children suffering from hair loss
No one asks to keep their hair after a haircut, but if you have more than 10 inches cut off, you can send it to be made into hairpieces for children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. You can restore a child’s self-esteem and confidence for the price of a haircut.
- British Friends of Zichron Menachem enable people to donate their hair to children with cancer in Israel. Call Hair: +44 (0)208 455 6288.
3 Help Israeli hospitals and medical research save the world
Support one of the major Israeli hospitals and research institutes doing life-saving work:
- Hadassah
- Laniado
- Shaare Zedek
- Technion
- Weizmann Institute
4 Begin charity at home
Choose a charity to support as a family or household and put a charity box somewhere in your home.
Pick a time
- Just before Shabbat
- On family birthdays
- 1st of the month
Find a place
- By the front door
- Next to the phone charging point
- On top of the kitchen table
Choose a charity
Each family member could choose a charity that appeals to them, then try to persuade the rest of the family why theirs is the best to support.
See volunteering opportunities5 Donate breast milk
6 Donate your old specs, recycle your mobile phone, or donate your old computer
7 Give money to improve a child’s life
8 Mark a Bar or Bat Mitzvah by doing something special, or at your next celebration, invite friends to give to charity instead of to you
9 Give books
- New Chapters, Langdon
- All Aboard
10 Donate your wedding dress to a gemach
