Charity

Charity, I do not like. Not that I want to discourage people, mind you. It's just that I do not like the implications of the word. Charity to me, implies kind of hierarchy. We can give charity to the unfortunate needy. The word charity actually comes from the Latin root, Caritas. Caritas means affection or fondness.  Therefore, when we give “charity” we are doing so out of love. Nice idea.  I do not think so.

I would argue that if we give only out of a feeling for the poor will not give when our song remains on moved by their plight. It is easy to have a heart swayed by a waif with a wide out eyes who is resembles Oliver Twist and remain implacable in the face of a malformed body. Dennis Prager has challenged many high school teenagers with the following scenario: two men of equal worse see a beggar. One is moved to tears by the poor person’s situation. He commiserates and gives him one dollar. The next man sees the man takes $10 from his pocket and grudgingly gives it to the beggar. Prager then asks who has done the better thing. The overwhelming response is that the one who is overtly sympathetic, and give only a dollar, is better.  That is wrong.

Judaism does not demand pathos, although it is a nice addition to make us more human. Our faith states that we need to do acts of tzedaka, not charity. Tzedaka means righteousness. In the case of the two man who saw the beggar and reacted, Judaism would say that the one who aided the beggar so that he has enough to eat has performed the mitzvah. Beggars may benefit from charity but they live from tzedakah.

Tzedakah comes from the word tzedek.  Tzedek means righteousness or justice.  Tzedakah is the Jewish moral code by which we are commanded to live.