Giving

Values

Jewish textual tradition values giving and generosity. The Torah instructs providing for those in need and requires the distribution of agricultural gifts to the poor, the priests, and the Levites. Later Jewish texts elaborate on these commandments and on the importance of supporting communal institutions.

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The Blessing of Generosity

TANAKH

The Torah underscores the importance of giving to those in need without reluctance, promising divine blessings in return. In Deuteronomy, Moses commands the Israelites to generously support the needy, particularly as the sabbatical year approaches.

If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your God יהוה is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin. Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need. Beware lest you harbor the base thought, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,” so that you are mean and give nothing to your needy kin—who will cry out to יהוה against you, and you will incur guilt…

Deuteronomy 15:7-11

The Joy of Giving on Purim

TANAKH

Purim is a time when the Jewish people transformed a period of grief into one of joy, marked by the communal obligation to give gifts to one another and to the poor. The book of Esther recounts the story of Esther and Mordekhai, who established Purim as a holiday of feasting, merrymaking, and giving.

the same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy. They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor. The Jews accordingly assumed as an obligation that which they had begun to practice and which Mordecai prescribed for them.

Esther 9:22-23

Fair Distribution of Agricultural Gifts

MISHNAH

The Mishnah provides detailed regulations to ensure fair distribution of agricultural gifts to the poor. Tractate Peah in the Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, outlines the specific timing and conditions under which the poor can collect gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and other agricultural gifts.

From when are all people permitted to take gleanings, [forgotten sheaves and peah]? After the old ones of the poor have gone. And in the case of peret and defective clusters? After the poor have gone into the vineyard and come back again. And in the case of the olive trees? After the descent of the second rainfall. Rabbi Judah said: But aren’t there those who do not harvest their olives until after the second rainfall?” Rather, once the poor man has gone out [to gather the agricultural gifts taken from olive trees] and cannot bring back with him [more than the value of] four issars.

Mishnah Peah 8:1

Preventing Poverty

MIDRASH

Proactive and continuous support can prevent a person from falling into deeper poverty. The Sifra, an ancient midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, elaborates on the biblical commandment to support a fellow Jew who has fallen into poverty.

1) (Vayikra 25:35) ("And if your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you, then you shall uphold him, as a convert and as a sojourner; and he shall live with you.") "If your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you": Do not allow him to drop. To what may this be compared? To a (slipping) burden upon an ass. So long as it is still in its place, you can grab onto it and set it aright. Once it has fallen to the ground, not even five can get it back again. And whence is it derived that even if you upheld him even four or five times you must, if necessary…

Sifra, Behar, Section 5 1

The Importance of Direct Support

TALMUD

Providing direct support to needy individuals is crucial, especially when they first encounter hardships. The talmudic tractate Nedarim discusses the balance between communal charity and individual responsibility in supporting those who fall into poverty.

GEMARA: Rav Huna bar Rav Ketina said to the Sages: But let the one who stated the vow say with regard to the last claim: All who become poor do not fall upon me; it is not my responsibility to provide for this specific poor person. What is placed upon me to provide for him together with everyone else, I will provide to him when I give money to those collecting for the communal charity fund. They said to him: I say that anyone who falls into poverty and requires assistance does not fall into the hands of the charity…

Nedarim 65b:3

Obligatory Gifts to the Poor

HALAKHAH

Some agricultural gifts to the poor are unique in that they are obligatory and not left to the discretion of the giver. Maimonides' famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, outlines the laws of agricultural gifts, emphasizing the poor's entitlement to these gifts, which are not based on personal choice.

Thus it can be concluded that there are four types of presents given to the poor in a vineyard: individual grapes that fall, underdeveloped grape clusters, pe'ah, and forgotten produce. There are three presents from a grain crop: leket, forgotten produce, and pe'ah, and two from trees: forgotten produce and pe'ah. The owners do not have the right to give these presents to the poor to the individual of their choice. Instead, the poor may come and take it against the owners' will. [These presents] are expropriated even from a poor Israelite.

Mishneh Torah, Gifts to the Poor 1:7-8

Ethical Allocation of Charity Funds

TALMUD

The ethical allocation of charity funds ensures that donations are used for their intended purposes. The Jerusalem Talmud provides detailed guidelines on how to handle surplus charity funds, emphasizing the importance of ethical financial practices.

MISHNAH: The excess of monies collected for kidnap victims is for kidnap victims; the excess of monies collected for a particular kidnap victim is for this kidnap victim. The excess of monies collected for the poor is for the poor; the excess of monies collected for a particular poor person is for this poor person. The excess of monies collected for the dead is for the dead; the excess of monies collected for a particular dead is for his heirs; Rebbi Meïr says, the excess of monies collected for a particular dead shall be left until Elijah comes…

Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 2:5:1

An Invitation to All

LITURGY

The invitation to those in need to join the Passover meal symbolizes inclusivity and solidarity. The Pesach Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, extends an invitation to the hungry and needy to join the meal, reflecting themes of freedom and hope for redemption.

הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא THIS
IS THE BREAD OF OPPRESSION
our fathers ate
in the land of Egypt.
Let all who are hungry
come in and eat;
let all who are in need
come and join us for the Pesaḥ.
Now we are here;
next year in the land of Israel.
Now – slaves;
next year we shall be free.

Pesach Haggadah, Magid, Ha Lachma Anya 3

The Humble Giver

REFERENCE

Mar Ukba's dedication to anonymous giving, even at personal risk, exemplifies the highest ideals of humility and charity. Gershom Bader's biographical account of Mar Ukba, a prominent 3rd-century Babylonian rabbi, highlights his extraordinary acts of secret charity.

The stories that were told of Mar Ukba’s generosity are of great interest. As he was blessed with great wealth, and his wife was also of a kind nature, he could distribute as much as he chose. Thus it was told that a poor man lived in the neighborhood of Mar Ukba and he wanted to aid him secretly lest the man refuse to take charity. He therefore placed four silver coins on the doorstep of the poor man so that he could easily notice them as he enters his house. When Mar Ukba saw that the man bought food with the money he repeated the same procedure for many days…

The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume III; The Amoraim of Babylon and the Babylonian Talmud, Mar Ukba the Exilarch 14

Consecrating Charity

HALAKHAH

The Shulchan Arukh outlines a distinctive method for designating items for charity by verbally associating them with something already sacred. Rabbi Joseph Karo's 16th-century legal code, a central text in Jewish law, details this procedure in the section on charity.

One may consecrate something to charity by "comparing" it to something already sacred, just as in vows. For example; if a Sela belonging to charity lies before him and he says with reference to another Sela, "Let that one be like this one," that one becomes a contribution to charity.

Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 258:1

Treasures in Heaven

TOSEFTA

King Munbaz teaches that true wealth is not in material possessions but in the spiritual and eternal value of giving. The Tosefta, an ancient collection of rabbinic laws and teachings from the land of Israel, emphasizes the eternal significance of charity and kind deeds.

There was an incident involving King Munbaz, who went and gave away all of his treasures [to the poor] in the years of drought, and his brothers said to him, "Your ancestors stored up treasures, and added to those of their fathers, and you went and gave away all your treasures, and those of your fathers." He said to them, "My ancestors stored treasures below, but I stored treasures above, as it is written (Ps. 85:12), 'Truth will spring out of the earth [and righteousness (tzedek) will look down from heaven]…

Tosefta Peah 4:18

The Art of Giving

SECOND TEMPLE

Giving should be tailored to the specific needs of the recipient, rather than done indiscriminately. Philo of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, blends Jewish theology with Greek philosophy to emphasize the importance of appropriate giving.

[142] This is why Moses says elsewhere: “Thou shalt lend to him that needs (in quantity) as much as he needs (in kind) suitably to his need” (Deut. 15:8), teaching by the latter clause that we must not grant everything to everybody, but what corresponds (in kind) to the need (or business) of those who wants something. For it is absurd to give an anchor or an oar or a rudder to a farmer, or a plough and a hoe to a pilot, or a lyre to a physician, while giving surgical instruments to a musician. This is as ridiculous as it is to bring costly viands to those who are athirst…

On the Posterity of Cain and his Exile 43:1

Charity in Seventeenth-Century Rome

COMMENTARY

The Jewish community in seventeenth-century Rome exemplified organized and extensive charitable efforts to support various communal needs. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the values of tzedakah (charity) and chesed (kindness) through the lens of historical communal support systems.

In seventeenth-century Rome, for example, there were seven societies dedicated to the provision of clothes, shoes, linen, beds, and warm winter bed coverings for children, the poor, widows, and prisoners. There were two societies providing trousseaus, dowries, and the loan of jewellery to poor brides. There was one for visiting the sick, another bringing help to families who had suffered bereavement, and others to perform the last rites for those who had died – purification before burial and the burial service itself…

Essays in Ethics; A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Hayei Sara; The Kindness of Strangers 13

The Structure of Charity

JEWISH THOUGHT

The Talmud provides a structured and communal approach to charity, ensuring fairness and responsibility in the collection and distribution of funds and food. This text from the Babylonian Talmud outlines specific procedures for charitable activities, distinguishing between different types of charity and their respective beneficiaries.

Our Rabbis taught: The charity fund is collected by two persons [jointly] and distributed by three. It is collected by two, because any office conferring authority over the community must be filled by at least two persons. It must be distributed by three, on the analogy of monetary cases [which are tried by a Bet Din of three]. Food for the soup kitchen is collected by three and distributed by three, since it is distributed as soon as it is collected. Food is distributed every day, the charity fund every Friday…

What is the Talmud, VII What is written in the Talmud?, 8 Charity 3

The Commandment of the Second Tithe

MUSAR

The Torah mandates the giving of a second tithe from the produce of major crops, underscoring the principles of generosity and community support. In his 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz elaborates on this practice, explaining that the second tithe, which was designated for consumption in Jerusalem during Temple times, exemplifies the importance of communal sharing and religious observance.

Commandment 473 directs the giving of tithes from our major crops. The Torah (14,22) states: "You shall set aside every year a tenth part of the yield," etc. In this instance the Torah speaks of the "second" tithe, מעשר שני.

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Re'eh, Ner Mitzvah 38

Issachar Ber Ryback - Offering a present (1917)

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