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.