Lt.1/c1° Tzedakah-G'milut Chasadim: Two Sides Of The Same Coin? By RABBI SHMUEL LOPIN Principal, Akiva Hebrew Day School Many statements in the Torah map out the Jewish people's obligation to help the poor and the needy. Tzedakah — charity — has been considered by the rabbis throughout Jewish history a prime mitzvah (commandment) of Judaism. While many would limit the concept of charity to the act of giving money to the poor, the Torah paints a fuller more intricate picture, Leket (gleanings), Shikchah (forgotten practice), and Peah (the corners of the field) are portions that a Jewish farmer was commanded to leave for the poor. Thus, in the agricultural community of Israel, there was a constant Tzedakah Guideline Continued from preceding page demanded. An interesting occurrence illustrates this concept: Theodor Herzl had gone to Baron Maurice deHirsch, who was the actual creator of the Jewish migration movement to Argentina and the establishment of the Jewish colonies there, seeking aid for the Zionist cause. DeHirsch was antagonistic and refused support. Herzl then wrote to him, as is recorded in his Diaries: "The character of a people may be ruined by charity." There was another rejection of the "charity" term. Mendele Moher Seforim — Mendele the Book Salesman — Shalom Jacob Abramowitsch, who shares in the history of Jewish literature as one of the three grandfathers of Yiddish literature, with Sholom Aleichem — Solomon Rabinovitz — and Isaac Leib Peretz, wrote in his famous story, Di Kliatshe, in which he was highly critical of the irresponsible Jewish actions in the shtetel: "Charity will not end poverty, disease, idleness, ignorance." Di Kliatshe (the mare) was an allegory of Diaspora life and a protest against anti-Semitism. It was written in 1873. Nevertheless, to tzedakah as charity are assigned many important designations. It is valued as a mitzvah — a sacred deed — and one of the interpretations of it is "righteousness." In the Talmud there is the Lje THE JEWISH NEWS 20300 Civic Center Drive Suite 240 Southfield, Michigan 48076 January 22, 1988 Associate Publisher Arthur M. Horwitz News Editor Heidi Press Jewish Experiences for Families Advisor Harlene W. Appleinan L 2 - FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1988 sacred rule that if a person asks for food it should not be denied him and no interrogation resorted to. In Proverbs 3:27 it is stated: "Withhold not goods from him to whom it is due when it is in power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor `Go and come again, and tomorrow I will give,' when thou has it by thee." Another symbol of the charity- tzedakah aspect is the pushke — the fund box. In a special chamber of the Temple in Jerusalem a fund box was kept for the needy. This, the kuppah of later times, has its origin in the pushke of our time. Secrecy was always maintained so that no one should ever become aware of applicants for help, and the donors who deposited the charity coins in the box should not be advertised. In the Mishnah, there is a listing of seven virtues as cardinal charity duties: Feeding the hungry and giving the thirsty to drink, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, burying the dead and comforting the mourners, redeeming the captives, educating the fatherless and sheltering the homeless and providing poor maidens with dowries. Because the G'milut Chasadim tradition is highly honored in our community as acts of kindness — which is the meaning of the term — by providing loans without interest, it must be included in the classification of the tzedakah principles. This was treated as a mitzvah, which is a precept in Torah injunctions. It is clear in the enumerations thus far assembled for the designation of tzedakah, that the terminology, even when disputable in search of the preferred "justice" to "charity" emerges as a "mitzvah." Every expression of kindness, all efforts to attain justice, become adherence to a great principle in Jewish life. That's tzedakah to be adhered to as a blessing in our traditions. reminder that the harvest was a result of the grace of God and that concern for the not-as-fortunate was appropriate. The Rambam (Maimonides) in his great work, The Mishna Torah, lists eight levels of charity descending in their levels of virtue: • The highest level is to help a person in need to become independent by lending the individual money, giving him a job, or setting up a partnership with him. Any of the above would prevent the loss of self esteem. • Give in a way that neither the donor nor the recipient knows the identity of the other. • Give in a way that the recipient does not know who the donor is. counted in defense of a person wrongfully slandered displays the kind of character which must be a part of the practitioner of G'milut Chasadim. It is through acts of G'milut Chasadim that a Jew can show his individuality and worth separate from those in the mainstream. It requires, sometimes, a willingness to maintain an unpopular view in order to right a wrong — in the face of any opposition. To place their own lives on the line to defend another human or fundamental Judaic principle may, perhaps, be the ultimate act of G'milut Chasadim. The Jewish martyrs would certainly qualify as practitioners of G'milut Chasadim. To place their own lives on the line to defend another human or fundamental Judaic principle may, perhaps, be the ultimate act of G'milut Chasadim. It is clear then, that G'milut Chasadim includes and goes beyond the concept of tzedakah. Maimonides The donor, however, knows the recipient. • Give in a way that the donor does not know who the recipient is. • Give before being asked. • Give only after having been asked to give. • Give less than is correct, but in good humor. • Give grudgingly. The sages have said that G'milut Chasadim is greater than tzedakah. Tzedakah is concerned mainly with those less fortunate than us; G'milut Chasadim is concerned with all of mankind. While acts of tzedakah are directed toward the living, acts of G'milut Chasadim may be directed toward the living or the dead. To remember, revere, or recognize the attributes and values of a deceased person through care taken in the preparation of the body, maintaining the grave, and establishing a monument, we demonstrated clearly how G'milut Chasadim goes beyond tzedakah. To speak in honor of another person or to stand up and be If tzedakah and G'milut Chasadim are two sides of the same coin, what would constitute that coin? One reads in Leviticus a fundamental Judaic precept, the origin of which is frequently attributed to another faith. As it states in Chapter 19 of Leviticus, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," and Rabbi Akiva comments "this is an important general rule of Torah practice." By providing tzedakah for those less fortunate than us, we are caring for our neighbor as we care for ourselves. When visiting the sick, honoring parents and teachers, or offering a shelter to the homeless — we are demonstrating our realization that we are all creatures of the same Creator; we are loving our neighbor as ourselves. The coin, then, is truly the "coin of the Realm" — The Realm of Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He). In this world we have the privilege of "loving our neighbor as ourselves." By performing acts of tzedakah and G'milut Chasadim, we are exposing the entire "coin." If this "coin" became universal currency, we would realize Shalom — true peace.