Charity In Rabbinic Judaism

Charity is a central concept of Judaism and a hallmark of Jewish giving is to provide for the poor in collective and anonymous ways. This book examines the origins of these ideas in the foundational works of rabbinic Judaism, texts from the second to third centuries C.E.

Studying the many ideas about how giving charity atones for sin and other rewards in late antique rabbinic literature, this volume contains many, varied, and even conflicting ideas, as the multiplicity must be recognized and allowed expression. Topics include the significance of the rabbis’ use of the biblical word "tzedaqah" as charity, the coexistence of the idea that God is the ultimate recipient of tzedaqah along with rabbinic ambivalence about that idea, redemptive almsgiving, and the reward for charity of retention or increase in wealth. Rabbinic literature’s preference for "teshuvah" (repentance) over tzedeqah to atone for sin is also closely examined. Throughout, close attention is paid to chronological differences in these ideas, and to differences between the rabbinic compilations of the land of Israel and the Babylonian Talmud. The book extensively analyzes the various ways the Babylonian Talmud especially tends to put limits on the divine element in charity while privileging its human, this-worldly dimensions. This tendency also characterizes the Babylonian Talmud’s treatment of other topics. The book briefly surveys some post-Talmudic developments. As the study fills a gap in existing scholarship on charity and the rabbis, it is an invaluable resource for scholars and clergy interested in charity within comparative religion, history, and religion.

Introduction -- The wealth of the early rabbis -- Harvest allocations for the poor -- Charity laws -- Giving mammon (wealth) -- Pay for the giver -- Charity as an investment -- Poverty relief and the anxiety of wealth -- Conclusion.

This work explores the Jewish sources of philanthropic institutions in the Western world, a focus that has long been ignored by those who have focused their interest on the Greco-Roman culture. The author explores the possibility of Jewish influence on early Christian charities.

The Rich Go to Heaven: Giving Charity in Jewish Thought focuses on how tzedekah can connect an individual with God and reveal the spirituality of the physical world.

"The concept of tzedakah ("charity") as set forth in rabbinic literature is one of the greatest moral insights in the history of the Jewish people. Since the dawn of humanity there has always been poverty and its concomitant suffering. The Hebrew scriptures, especially the Prophets, recognized that we have a responsibility to ameliorate the plight of the poor. The rabbis refined this moral insight into an extensive system of tzedakah. Their fundamental premise is that every human being is made in the image of God and thus the dignity of every individual must be respected. Each one of us has the obligation to enhance the lives of others so that they may live in dignity. Poverty has the potential of undermining an individual's sense of dignity and self-worth. The system of tzedakah as developed by the rabbis is an instrumentality that sensitizes us to the needs of the poor and our obligation on their behalf. Moral insights and comments about tzedakah are found throughout the vast body of rabbinic literature. This book attempts to present a survey of the rabbinic sources concerning tzedakah. The objective of this book is to present the reader with an analysis of the system of tzedakah as created and understood by the rabbis. The system of analysis was to divide tzedakah into different categories and to comment upon the rabbinic texts utilized. It is hoped the reader will comprehend and appreciate the moral insights that are inherent in the rabbinic concept of tzedakah"--

In this second volume of his long-anticipated five-volume collection of parashat hashavua commentaries, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks explores these intersections as they relate to universal concerns of freedom, love, responsibility, identity, and destiny. Chief Rabbi Sacks fuses Jewish tradition, Western philosophy, and literature to present a highly developed understanding of the human condition under Gods sovereignty. Erudite and eloquent, Covenant Conversation allows us to experience Chief Rabbi Sacks sophisticated approach to life lived in an ongoing dialogue with the Torah.