B4
We are to give tz'dakah to the poor among us.
Category: Charity, Provision, & Generosity
Type: Positive
Form: Explicit
Source dataset: Old Testament
Uniqueness: Not unique
Classical commandment: Yes
New Covenant Literal Application
Applies to Person Categories: Everyone
Literal Application: mandated
More explanation about New Covenant Literal Application
The New Covenant Literal Application Code (NCLA) is an interpretive guide used by the authors to indicate which person categories a mitzvah applies to, and at what level of literal compliance.
It combines person categories such as Jewish, K'rov Yisrael, and Gentile, together with male/female distinctions and an application level such as mandated, recommended, optional, or prohibited.
This code reflects the authors' interpretive opinion and is provided for prayerful consideration. On this page, the technical code is summarized into plain language to help new readers understand it more easily.
Detailed codes: GFm - Gentile female, mandated | GMm - Gentile male, mandated | JFm - Jewish female, mandated | JMm - Jewish male, mandated | KFm - K'rovat Yisrael female, mandated | KMm - K'rov Yisrael male, mandated
Bible references
Key NT Scriptures
- James 2:14-17
- 1 John 3:17
Key OT Scriptures
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Deuteronomy 15:7-11
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Leviticus 25:35-36
Supportive NT Scriptures
- Acts 6:1-3
- 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-9
- Luke 6:38
- Luke 11:33-34
- Luke 12:33
- Luke 14:12-14
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Luke 16:19-25
- Matthew 6:1-4
- Matthew 6:19-21
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Commentary
Rabbi Michael Rudolph
Charity, in the Jewish world, is known as tz'dakah . The first thing to notice about the Scriptures that underlie this commandment is that they do not limit tz'dakah to giving for, as you can see in Deuteronomy 15:8 and Leviticus 25:36 , lending to the poor without charging interest is considered a work of tz'dakah as well. Leviticus 25:35 begins by referring to "a member of your people", and charges us with a duty to help our brother Israelite so that he (and presumably his family) can continue to live among us, meaning whatever style of living is par in our community. A charitable burden such as this cannot be complied with by the average person or family, so it is reasonable that the Scripture intends a considerable part of it to be fulfilled communally. Also, although the term "your people" meant fellow Israelites, for us the commandment should be broadened to mean fellow Jews (be we Jewish), and fellow brothers in Messiah, be we Jews or not. The heart of the commandment is that God wants us to take responsibility for our impoverished brother's welfare and, in order to be able to do so, our communities must establish some level of financial safety net for its members. If we do not, brothers on whom hard times fall will have to move away from the community, and the inevitable result is fractured relationships, which is not God's intent. The possibility of emergency and sometimes long-term needs developing within any congregational community suggests the wisdom of the community establishing a benevolence fund; administering such a fund, as well as coordinating other resources (both congregational and personal), is one of the important functions of a deaconate ( shamashim ). Besides the corporate measures I spoke of, the Scriptures I mentioned suggest that we have personal responsibility as well. For that reason, we ought to develop a plan for giving charity that includes setting aside funds, and opening our homes with which HaShem has blessed us, to provide emergency sheltering when needed. The degree to which we must funds and resources from our own families in order to give to others is not clear from the Scriptures, so we must pray for the Holy Spirit to give us guidance before (and certainly when) the need to give occurs. Another thing to notice in the Scriptures is that Leviticus 25:35 implies that we are also to give tz'dakah to those who we do not count as brothers, for it says " ... you are to assist him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident. " The way this is put is interesting because it suggests that we would have no question or hesitation in helping the foreigner, whereas we need a commandment to motivate us to help those closer to us. Could it be that we sometimes have less compassion for our family and peers than we do for strangers? Our obligation to a give to others in need is carried over to the New Covenant Scriptures with such strength that it might as well have been presented as a commandment there as well. 1 John 3:17 equates withholding tz'dakah from our brother with our not loving God, and James 2:14-17 tells us that our charitable acts are an indication of the level of our faith. Luke 6:38 is interesting in its application of sowing and reaping, but I prefer to not think in those terms because I do not want to taint any charitable act on my part with even a fleeting thought of self-interest. In addition to it being required by Torah , giving tz'dakah is a time-honored practice in Jewish homes where a tz'dakah box for spare coins is often in plain view. It is further my opinion that giving tz'dakah should always be over and above other giving that is required of us, including our tithes and other offerings.
Classical commentators
Maimonides warns us against giving tz'dakah as a way of benefiting ourselves and suggests that, where possible, it ought to be given anonymously. Meir has a great deal to say about tz'dakah that is very motivating. For starters, he makes the statement: "We are duty-bound to be more careful about the mitzvah of charity than about all the other positive commandments" 1 . He goes on to say that "charity is a distinguishing characteristic of the descendants of Abraham" 2 , and that the "faith of truth" and charity are inseparably linked. Maimonides construes the commandment as our being responsible to give tz'dakah to humanity broadly, while Meir is more explicit in applying it to Jews. HaChinuch tells us that one of the values of giving tz'dakah anonymously us to not embarrass the recipient, and suggests that if a needy person is reluctant to receive it as a gift, he might, nevertheless, receive it as a loan. He also opines that even a poor man is obligated to give tz'dakah , and reminds us that even a normally wealthy man can fall on hard times financially due to illness and other causes, and may need temporary help, possibly in the way of a loan. 1. Quoted from C. Chavel, The Commandments ( Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides in two volumes ) (London: The Soncino Press, Ltd., 1967) 2. ibid.
Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2
Classical sources
Maimonides
Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, 12th century) organized all 613 Torah commandments into a structured list. These linked items show where this Law of Messiah commandment overlaps with that classical framework.
Meir of Rothenburg
Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg (13th century, Germany) was a leading Talmudic authority. These reference numbers link this commandment to his halachic rulings.
MP38, MN62, MP38, MP38
Source and License
Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.
License: CC BY-ND 4.0 (Attribution required, NoDerivatives). CC BY-ND 4.0
Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.
Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2
Copyright note: Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2