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Tzedakah Dangers

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Q

: Is it permitted for someone to put himself in harm's way in order
to give tzedakah, or is the first obligation to protect one's self
from harm?

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- Valerie, Louisiana

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A: Giving tzedakah, or charity, is
one of the most important parts
of Jewish life. The Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur liturgy reminds us
again and again that giving tzeda-
kah is one way to get ourselves writ-
ten in the Book of Life. So you could
say that giving tzedakah can help
the giver just as much, if not more,
than the recipient.
But you're right, Valerie, some-
times it can be dangerous to give
tzedakah. Areas that are dangerous
— politically unstable, ravaged
by natural disasters or otherwise
unsafe — often are the places where
people most need tzedakah, and not
just money but all kinds of help,
from jobs to food to interest-free
loans. It can be dangerous to get to
these areas, and danger can be asso-
ciated with the political ramifica-
tions of giving money to one group
or organization over another.
Jews have an obligation to give
tzedakah, so how much danger can/
should we put ourselves in to fulfill
this commandment?
I consulted with Rabbi Mordechai
Liebling, director of the social
justice organizing program at
the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College. Rabbi Liebling told me that
one should give at least 10 percent
of one's income and not more than
20 percent to tzedakah, with some
exceptions to the 20 percent maxi-
mum.
Why have a maximum?
"The maximum is set so that no
one would impoverish themselves,
leading them to be recipients of
tzedakah and presumably harmed:'
Rabbi Liebling said. "The general
rule would seem to be that giving
tzedakah should not place you in
danger of poverty"
Essentially, you can't seriously
endanger your own life in order to
help someone else.
I also asked Rabbi Jill Jacobs,
author of There Shall be No Needy:

Pursuing Social Justice through
Jewish Law and Tradition about
this issue. She agreed with Rabbi
Liebling that there is no obligation
to put yourself at risk in order to
give tzedakah. But she also added
that the risk/benefit calculation is
tricky.
"Real-life situations are rarely so
easily divided into safe/dangerous,"
she said. "For example, if I get into
my car to drive to donate money,
I don't think of myself as putting
myself in danger. But, of course, I
could get into a car accident on the
way."
According to Rabbis Jacobs and
Liebling, the best way to negotiate
this difficulty is to keep in mind the
Jewish obligation to save human life;
and in every situation try to decide
the likelihood that you'll be put in
danger by giving tzedakah versus
the likelihood that your tzedakah
will save a life.
If the danger of giving is over-
whelming, it's probably best to save
your tzedakah for another situation.
However, if there isn't much danger,
and it's very likely that you'll save
someone's life, then it's OK (some
would even say a requirement) to
put yourself out there in order to do
good.
Certainly if you are going to give
tzedakah, and you can do it either in
person, in a dangerous situation or
send the tzedakah and do so with-
out putting yourself in danger, the
last choice is preferable. No extra
mitzvah points are awarded for tak-
ing unnecessary risks.
An added benefit to not giving in
person is protecting the recipient's
dignity by giving anonymously.
Now get out there and give some
tzedakah. Just make sure to look
both ways before you cross the
street. Fl

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July 22 2010

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