What is Tzedakah?

One of the first things I want to clear up is that tzedakah does not mean charity. I know that is how it is always translated, but the translation misses something crucial. Charity comes from the Latin "caritas," meaning love or generosity — it implies that giving is a warm, voluntary act of the heart. Tzedakah comes from the Hebrew word tzedek, meaning justice or righteousness. Giving is not just nice. It is just. It is what you owe.

That distinction changes everything about how we approach giving in the Jewish world.

The Obligation to Give

Jewish law requires every person to give tzedakah — even someone who is receiving tzedakah themselves. The standard amount is ma'aser, a tithe of 10% of one's income. Some give 20%, which is considered the upper limit so that a person does not impoverish themselves. But the baseline is clear: one-tenth of what you earn belongs to others.

In my home, we have a tzedakah box (pushka) in the kitchen. Before I light Shabbat candles every Friday evening, I put money in. My kids each have their own pushka in their rooms. When they get allowance money or birthday money, they know that a portion goes to tzedakah before they spend anything. It is not a suggestion. It is how we live.

Maimonides' Eight Levels

The Rambam (Maimonides) outlined eight levels of tzedakah, ranked from lowest to highest:

1. Giving reluctantly — you give, but with a sour attitude
2. Giving cheerfully but less than appropriate
3. Giving the right amount but only after being asked
4. Giving before being asked
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient, but they know you
6. Giving when you know the recipient, but they do not know you
7. Giving when neither party knows the other — complete anonymity
8. Helping someone become self-sufficient — giving a loan, a job, or a partnership so they no longer need tzedakah

That highest level is remarkable. The best form of giving is making it so the person does not need to receive anymore. That is not just charity — that is transformation.

How Tzedakah Shows Up in Daily Life

Tzedakah is not a once-a-year thing. It is part of the rhythm of Jewish life:

• Daily — Many people give a small amount every weekday morning before prayers
• Friday — Giving before Shabbat candle-lighting is widespread
• Holidays — Special tzedakah is given before Yom Kippur, on Purim (matanos la'evyonim), and before Pesach (maos chitim to help families afford Passover food)
• Lifecycle events — Celebrations like weddings, bar mitzvahs, and births are often accompanied by tzedakah
• In memory of the deceased — Giving tzedakah l'iluy nishmas (for the elevation of the soul) of someone who passed away is a common practice

In our community, the amount of tzedakah infrastructure is staggering. There are organizations for everything — helping brides afford weddings, helping families pay medical bills, feeding the hungry, providing interest-free loans, supporting Torah scholars. The Jewish concept of a gemach (free-loan society) is tzedakah in action.

The Dignity of the Recipient

Jewish law is deeply concerned with preserving the dignity of the person receiving tzedakah. Embarrassing someone while helping them is considered a serious wrong. This is why anonymous giving is ranked so highly by the Rambam. In many communities, there are systems in place to distribute funds discreetly — envelopes slipped under doors before holidays, anonymous bank transfers, quiet conversations between rabbis and families in need.

I know families in my neighborhood who are struggling financially, and I know they receive help — but it is done so quietly that their children have no idea. That is tzedakah done right.

More Than Money

Tzedakah is not limited to financial giving. Giving your time, your expertise, a listening ear — these are also forms of tzedakah. Teaching someone's child for free, driving an elderly neighbor to a doctor's appointment, hosting someone for a Shabbat meal — all of these count.

My mother always said that the hand that gives is always higher than the hand that receives, but both hands are needed. You cannot have one without the other. And one day you are the giver, and another day you might be the receiver. That is just life. The system works because everyone participates.