We know that the end of the year is coming when get daily requests via mail, e-mail, or Facebook from organizations encouraging us to make charitable contributions by the end of December. These requests come in time for us to consider the tax benefits of our donations, however, as Jews, we should look at these types of requests as a Jewish opportunity.
Our tradition teaches us that it is our responsibility to give to those less fortunate than us. Indeed, unlike “charity” (from the Latin root caritas, meaning to give from a place of “caring”), “tzedakah” comes from the word tzedek, meaning justice or righteousness. We don’t give tzedakah because we care, we give tzedakah because it is an obligation, and because it is just.
But where should we give and how should we prioritize? How much should we give? What if money is tight?
In an Op-Ed piece published last year in The Forward, Rabbi Jill Jacobs challenges the American Jewish community to do better and teaches that, strictly speaking, tzedakah is referring solely to giving that supports the needy. She writes:
“Most estimates suggest that American Jews give away no higher a percentage of income than their fellow Americans…. In other words, Jews in these income categories (50-150K) give away, on average, no more than 1.2% of their annual earnings…
“Jewish law actually sets 10% as the minimum that one should give for tzedakah. The rabbis caution against contributing more than 20% of one’s income, lest an overly generous person give away so much that he or she becomes dependent on the tzedakah of others. This maximum is waived for extremely wealthy people and for deathbed bequests. As a community, we fail to live up to this obligation in two ways. First, as described above, most of us do not give away 10% – let alone 20% – of our income. Second, most of the money we give away does not actually count as tzedakah!
“Rabbis over the centuries have debated the precise parameters of tzedakah, but the arguments always hinge on whether the gift in question serves the needs of the poor. Gifts that do not address poverty are not tzedakah. While Jewish law also mandates that community members contribute to such needs as synagogues, city infrastructure and other communal institutions, such gifts do not count as part of one’s tzedakah donation…”
For the complete text of this article see: http://www.forward.com/articles/120593/
Rabbi Jacobs also wrote a follow-up article that details some practical advice for our choices when it comes to giving, and I encourage you to read this as well: http://zeek.forward.com/articles/116165/
These articles are challenges, but they also present us with great opportunities and frameworks for thinking about our year-end giving. As 2010 comes to a close, even in these uncertain economic times, let us challenge ourselves to do more. As the Torah teaches: tzedek tzedek tirdof, Justice, Justice Shall We Pursue.