FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 41

twofold — it helps us build the 
Torah infrastructure necessary 
for any flourishing Jewish soci-
ety. And it transforms those 
who contribute, connecting us 
to our society and forging us 
into a community of givers — 
becoming no less than a partner 
with our Creator in these holy 
endeavors.
Perhaps the quintessential 
form of giving is the mitzvah 
of tzedakah, giving to the needy. 
Tzedakah is about taking care 
of the physical well-being of 
the most vulnerable members 
of society, helping those who 
can’t afford to take care of their 
basic needs. As the Torah says 
(Devarim 15:7): “If there is a 
destitute person amongst you ... 
you shall not harden your heart 
or close your hand against your 
destitute brother.
”
But, there is also another 
dimension to tzedakah. By 
supporting those in need, we 
enable their full human poten-
tial to flourish. God created 
a world for human beings to 
give expression to their Tzelem 
Elokim, the “Divine image” — 
the spark of pure Godliness 
within each one of us — to 
flourish. Poverty is an assault on 
the Tzelem Elokim within a per-
son. The burden of poverty can 
crush the flourishing of human 
potential, because if a person’s 
entire existence is focused only 
on meeting basic needs, then 
they cannot invest their efforts 
in more lofty pursuits: develop-
ing themselves morally and spir-
itually, nurturing their Divine 
souls.
Tzedakah applies not just to 
giving money. Emotional sup-
port is also important. As the 
Talmud says (Bava Batra 9b): 
“Whoever gives a poor person 
a pruta [the lowest unit of cur-
rency of that time] is blessed [by 
God] with six blessings. And 
whoever gives verbal encourage-
ment is blessed [by God] with 
11 blessings.
” 

The Rambam explains 
that one should give with a 
smile and not begrudgingly, 
empathizing with the person’s 
pain and speaking words of 
comfort. The Rambam (Hilchot 
Matanot Aniim 10:5) writes: 
“It is forbidden to rebuke the 
poor person and to raise one’s 
voice by shouting at him, 
because his heart is broken and 
despondent...
”

8 LEVELS OF TZEDAKAH 
The Rambam (Hilchot Matanot 
Aniim 10:7- 14) actually lists 
eight levels of tzedakah (derived 
from the Talmud), which are 
ranked according to the degree 
to which they preserve the 
dignity and self-respect of the 
recipient (and thereby help nur-
ture the Tzelem Elokim).
The highest level of tzedakah, 
according to the Rambam, is to 
help a person achieve financial 
independence — through an 
interest-free loan, for example, 
or gainful employment. In 
such a scenario, the recipient is 
no longer a “charity case” and 
becomes self-sufficient.
The second highest level of 
tzedakah is when neither the 
donor nor the recipient know 
each other, with the anonymity 
protecting the dignity of the 
recipient. The next level is 
partial anonymity, when the 
giver knows the recipient, but 
not vice versa. The fourth level 
is when the recipient knows the 
giver, but not vice versa.
The fifth level is when both 
parties know each other, but 
the donor gives to the needy 
person unsolicited. Level six is 
where the giver gives tzedakah 
after being requested to do 
so. Level seven is where the 
giver gives less than what is 
appropriate but does so with 
warmth and graciousness. And 
level eight, the lowest level of 
tzedakah, is where the giver 
gives begrudgingly, which is 
humiliating for the recipient. 

The Rambam writes elsewhere 
that if tzedakah is given angrily 
or bitterly, then the giver loses 
all the merit for his actions, 
even if he gives “one thousand 
gold pieces.
” (Rambam Hilchot 
Matanot Aniim 10:4)
Clearly, tzedakah transforms 
the life of the recipient. But, 
there is also a profound impact 
on the giver — someone who 
accustoms himself to giving 
becomes more compassionate, 
refined, generous and holy. 
This point is emphasized 
by the Talmud (Bava Batra 
10a), which grapples with the 
theological question of why God 
commands us to give tzedakah 
— if God wanted poor people 
to have the necessary financial 
resources, then He Himself 
could provide them with their 
needs. The Talmud records that 
this question was proposed by 
the Roman General Turnus 
Rufus to Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi 
Akiva’s answer was the point 
we have been making — that 
tzedakah completely transforms 
the giver, that through the act 
of giving, we ourselves become 
worthy recipients of God’s 
blessings and reward.
Rabbi Akiva gives another 
dimension to his answer. He 
says this is part of the will of 
God, that we are considered to 
be His children, and that in the 
same way a father would want 
his children to be looked after, 
so too, God wants all of His 
children to be looked after, and 
this applies especially to those in 
desperate need, like people who 
are suffering in poverty. And 
so, when we give, we are indeed 
fulfilling the will of God.
Giving tzedakah also instils 
within a person real faith 
in God. Giving our hard-
earned money to another is 
an acknowledgment that our 
earnings are a blessing from 
God, and that whatever we have 
received from Him was given 
with the trust that we would use 

it to uplift the lives of others. 
This is why halachah requires 
that we set aside a percentage of 
our disposable income (between 
10% and 20%) for tzedakah. The 
fact that it is a fixed percentage 
instills in us the notion that all 
of our material possessions are, 
in fact, a gift from God, to be 
used in accordance with the 
directives that God has given us.
That also relates to why 
the Hebrew word for charity 
is tzedakah, which is derived 
from the Hebrew word tzedek, 
meaning “justice.
” Tzedakah isn’t 
really charity. Charity implies 
a discretionary act of giving. 
Tzedakah, on the other hand, is 
no less than a fulfilment of basic 
principles of justice.
It is for this reason that 
remarkable reward is promised 
for it. Indeed, one of the few 
areas — perhaps the only area 
— in which we are allowed 
to test God is charity. There 
is a God-given guarantee that 
whatever we give to charity will 
be returned to us and more.
Why is it that we get back 
what we give and more? 
Rav Shimon Shkop has an 
interesting explanation. He 
says the reason God gave us 
the money in the first place 
was so we would use it to 
help the poor, support Torah 
learning institutions, etc. So, 
if we use the money for the 
purpose for which it was given, 
then of course God is going to 
give us more. In a sense, God 
is investing in us. It stands 
to reason that if our returns 
are good, God will continue 
showering us with blessings.
We see that tzedakah is an 
act of deep faith. It is an act that 
connects us to community and 
uplifts the lives of others. And, 
through the act of giving, we 
ourselves are transformed. 

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, who 

has a PhD. in Human Rights Law, is the 

chief rabbi of South Africa. This article 

first appeared on aish.com.

