1990
MotToZ0V0A01-1
110E0Q000E06
What I8 A Mitzvah Hero?
Writer and poet Danny Siegel, "American Jewry's
leading expert in micro-philanthropy," according to
Leonard Fein, provides the following definitions for
your edification:
"Tzedakah" is variously translated as "Right-
eousness" or "Doing the Right Thing." It also means
"Using one's own resources to bring fairness, equity,
and decency into the lives of others." Tzedakah is the
Jewish way of giving, i.e., giving out of a sense of
justice and doing the right thing.
"Tzedek" means "Justice," and it is the motivating
force for tzedakah acts. A person performs an act of
tzedakah because he or she senses that there is
something wrong in the world, and that person deter-
mines to set things right once again through an act
of tzedakah.
"Tzaddik" (masculine form) and "tzadeket"
(feminine) are variant forms of the same Hebrew root,
and they signify someone who personifies by his or
her actions and lifestyle the principles of tzedakah
and tzedek. "Tzaddik" and "Tazdeket" range in mean-
ing from "A Righteous Person" to "One who per-
sonifies generosity" to "One who does the right thing"
to "One who embodies the principles of Justice" and,
finally, to "A good person to the highest degree."
"Mitzvot" means "Doing good things." In the
broadest traditional Jewish sense of the word, "Mitz-
vot" can mean "Commandments from God" or
"Divine instructions on how to live a good life." Mitz-
vot extend into every aspect of daily Jewish life; they
include the laws of keeping kosher, the Sabbath and
holidays, and many other acts. I use "mitzvah" in the
more restricted and colloquial sense of "A good act."
Thus, a Mitzvah Hero is one who lives a life suffused
with good works and who is admirable for all the good
things he or she does?'
The Jewish News congratulates the three mitzvah
heroes highlighted in this special section, those who
were nominated and those whose tzedakah and good
works are virtually unknown to others, but help to
improve the quality of life for Jews and non-Jews in
the Detroit metropolitan area.
THE JEWISH NEWS
27676 FRANKLIN ROAD
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48034
(313) 354-6060
FAX (313) 354-6069
Serving Detroit's Metropolitan
Jewish Community With
Distinction For Four Decades
74
FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1990