THE EIGHT LEVELS OF CHARITY TZEDAKA BY RABBI DAVID BASSOUS

CHARITY - TZEDAKA

“If there will be a destitute person among you …you shall not harden your heart or close your hand …rather you shall open your hand to him…” Deuteronomy 15:7

Why the double language “you shall not harden your heart or close your hand”?

Whenever the heart is mentioned it means the mind. I can understand that the Torah is telling is not to be hard hearted fine but why does it repeat and don’t be tight fisted as if the hand has a power of its own, why the double language?

The torah is teaching us that there are at least two decision making processes going on in a person: The conscious mind and the sub-conscious or the force of habit of the body so that even after the mind has consciously decided to act the body through lack of follow up can negate the decision.

When Abraham our forefather was commanded to sacrifice his son it says “he sent his hand and took the knife…” His hand did not want to follow through on his mind’s decision, Abraham had to focus extra hard to ‘send’ his hand to follow through.

To give charity a person has to overcome two barriers that of the mind; “I work very hard for my money, this guy is lazy otherwise he would have found a job let him earn his own living etc.” and that of the body that out of habit does not want to part with his wealth and resists the physical act of giving.

Rambam (Maimonides) states in the laws of Gifts to the Poor 10:1: We are obligated to be careful with the command to give charity (tzedakah) more than any other positive commandment he provides us with the following three reasons:

1. Charity is a sign of a righteous individual a descendent of Abraham. (In Hebrew the words Tzaddik and Tzeddaka have the same root Tzeddek or righteousness.

2. Judaism survives through the merit of charity.

3. The Jewish people will be redeemed from exile through the merit of charity.

Rambam continues that there are eight levels of givers of charity.

[1] The greatest level, above which there is no greater, is to support a fellow Jew by endowing him with a gift or loan, or entering into a partnership with him, or finding employment for him, in order to strengthen his hand until he need no longer be dependent upon others . . .

[2] A lesser level of charity than this is to give to the poor without knowing to whom one gives, and without the recipient knowing from who he received. For this is performing a mitzvah solely for the sake of Heaven. This is like the “anonymous fund” that was in the Holy Temple [in Jerusalem]. There the righteous gave in secret, and the good poor profited in secret. Giving to a charity fund is similar to this mode of charity, though one should not contribute to a charity fund unless one knows that the person appointed over the fund is trustworthy and wise and a proper administrator, like Rabbi Chananyah ben Teradyon.

[3] A lesser level of charity than this is when one knows to whom one gives, but the recipient does not know his benefactor. The greatest sages used to walk about in secret and put coins in the doors of the poor. It is worthy and truly good to do this, if those who are responsible for distributing charity are not trustworthy.

[4] A lesser level of charity than this is when one does not know to whom one gives, but the poor person does know his benefactor. The greatest sages used to tie coins into their robes and throw them behind their backs, and the poor would come up and pick the coins out of their robes, so that they would not be ashamed.

[5] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person directly into his hand, but gives before being asked.

[6] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person after being asked.

[7] A lesser level than this is when one gives inadequately, but gives gladly and with a smile.

[8] A lesser level than this is when one gives unwillingly.