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"DO TZEDAQAH (righteousness)" - Yeshua’s Primary Message

The following is from a book we highly recommend – There shall be no needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law & Tradition by Rabbi Jill Jacobs © 2009; Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, Vermont; pp. 80, 84-85. Rabbi Jacobs is providing information from sources much later than Yeshua, but I have no doubt that he would be in complete agreement with her message. The information below has been edited and highlighted to make specific points related to the teachings of Yeshua.
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The theme of JUSTICE remains central to the understanding of TZEDAQAH (righteousness). Support for the poor is understood as an obligation and as a means of restoring justice to the world, and not as an altruistic or voluntary gesture.

If the poor are entitled to the same dignity and quality of life as the wealthy, and if the fortunes of the wealthy and the poor are understood to be interconnected, then it stands to reason that the better off would be expected to care for the needs of the less well-off.

In contrast with philanthropy or charity, TZEDAQAH (righteousness) specifically refers to financial support for the poor. Other kinds of giving – to communal institutions such as synagogues, museums, schools, and cultural organizations – are important responsibilities, but are not necessarily considered TZEDAQAH (righteousness).

The goal of TZEDAQAH (righteousness) is, first and foremost, to lift individual people out of poverty and to create a more equitable world. At the same time, giving TZEDAQAH (righteousness) should also increase our own awareness of the world around us, and should arouse in us compassion for those in need.

Conditioning ourselves to give TZEDAQAH (righteousness) can bring us into a closer relationship with God and has the potential to increase the sense of divine compassion in the world as a whole.

TZEDAQAH (righteousness) is obligatory upon every member of the community, even those who themselves accept TZEDAQAH (righteousness):

(1) A person who has lived in a community for thirty days becomes obligated to contribute to the fund used to provide food for the hungry.

(2) Someone who has lived in the community for three months must donate to the fund that gives financial assistance to the poor.

(3) Someone who buys a home, thus declaring an intention to stay in a given community, becomes obligated to contribute to these funds immediately (Talmud, Bava Batra 8a).

Every member of the community of the community is required to contribute according to his or her ability. Specifically, there is an expectation that each person should give at least 10 percent of his or her yearly income to TZEDAQAH (righteousness).

According to traditional sources, you should not give more than 20 percent of your income to TZEDAQAH (righteousness), lest you find yourself dependent on the communal fund.

The message of Yeshua can be summed up in two words: DO TZEDAQAH!


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