Our Tradition of Giving

Jewish tradition teaches that one who is blessed by G-d with more than enough to meet one’s own needs is obligated to share that blessing with others.

Jewish giving is called tzedakah. Tzedakah does not mean charity or philanthropy, it means righteousness or justice. We do not give tzedakah because it makes us feel good; we give tzedakah out of a sense of responsibility to G-d and to our fellow human beings. We give tzedakah because it is the right thing to do.  

We are first taught about tzedakah in the Torah. G-d commands us in the book of Deuteronomy (15:11), “You are to open, yes, open your hand to your brother, to your afflicted-one, and to your needy-one in your land!”

Rabbi Assi taught that the mitzvah (commandment) of tzedakah is as important as all the other mitzvot (commandments) combined (Baba Batra 9a).  

Maimonides, who lived in the 12th century in Spain, Morocco and Egypt at various times, noted that he had never heard of a Jewish community that did not have a charity fund.  

Being a collector of tzedakah is a tradition that goes back to the time of the Talmud. These were members of the community given the task of collecting communal funds for the benefit of the needy.

The last century gave rise to Jewish social welfare agencies like the Jewish Federation, which began centralized fundraising for the Jewish community. As the tzedakah collectors of old, the Federation employs professional fundraisers who work hand-in-hand with Jewish community members to raise funds for the benefit of local, national and international recipients.  

While the means by which fundraising is now accomplished have significantly changed from the days of the Torah and Talmud, the Jewish reasons and rationales for giving remain unchanged.