Tzedakah Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tzedakah - Term Paper ExampleThe Hebrew word zedakah or tsedakah has been translated into English meaning either righteousness or charity. In earlier times it was referred to also as almsgiving. It can be defined as an set of profession incumbent upon men of means to provide for those in want. (Jacobs et al. 2011, no page number). One of the main principles of Jewish faith is obedience to Gods laws, and within the Torah in that respect is provision for widows and orphans through a system of giving from the rich. Heil part reports that when he conducted a survey on charity among Orthodox Jews, one man responded I buy the farm tzedakah for lots of reasons but foremost because it is a mitzvah that the Torah commanded me to do and by doing so I am fulfilling my obligation to be a good Jew. (Heilman 1991, p. 134). This shows that giving tzedakah is seen as an important way of expressing ones identity as a Jew, and of showing ones righteousness forwards God and before other people. It is not just a voluntary sign of goodwill, but a formal ritual that is a compulsory and unfathomed part of being Jewish. There is a saying charity begins at home (Goldman 2000, p. 250) and this encompasses the duty that parents pull in towards their children and children have towards their parents. ... Each person is expected to give according to his or her means, and this might be a small or large amount. In ancient times there were strict rules on reserving a portion of ones wealth for giving to the poor and to strangers in the community. This is called tithing, and its purpose is to help people remember that all good things come from God, and that they have a duty to share their good fortune with others who are in call for. In modern times it is all too easy to for ticktack this, and get caught up with the materialism of our consumer society, but practising the act of tzedakah is a good way of keeping our feet on the ground. If everyone took this commandment seriously, then th ere would be far slight poverty in the world. The origins or of the term tzedakah come from Deuteronomy 154 There shall be no needy among you. From the earliest times, when the Jewish people lived at times in a precarious land, with deserts, bandits and all kinds of famines and disasters, feeding the needy was seen as a priority. Husbands died of illness or were killed in wars, leaving weaker members of the family in need of support. Many of the ancient stories speak of strangers in need, and the great Jewish teachers are famed for stopping what they are doing to help the needy. Hospitality is a basic duty in the Middle due east, and it offers an opportunity to be charitable and generous even to strangers. When Jewish people were spread out across Europe and the Middle East in the diaspora, there were often persecutions and it was only by sticking together and sharing their wealth with each other that many Jewish communities survived. Today there is often a connection between the giving of tzedakah and the life of