Hebrew Word For Charity

This I Believe When one examines the Hebrew word for charity, “tzedakah,” it translates literally to “justice.” This suggests that, at least in Judaism, giving to those less fortunate is not optional. In fact, it is a necessary part of living an ethical life. However, not everyone in the world believes this view, especially when it becomes more complicated. Simply giving is often never enough. If one hands $20 to a homeless man who suffers from a drug addiction, chances are his first priority will not be to purchase a hot meal. However, not every person in need is the same. This is why individual opinions on how we should approach these situations vary so drastically. Charity never has one individual approach. Every person who gives or receives

Being the younger child, I tended to get the hand-me-downs and the second choice for most things. I understood what it was like not to have the first option. We were not poor, but were far from some of the rich, multi-millionaires that so often reside along the Connecticut shoreline. My mother is a Unitarian Universalist minister who always taught me to be generous and share, even if I did not want to. Again, the justice approach teaches to do it because it is the right thing to do. We would always donate our old clothes and toys when we no longer needed them. Every month, we would donate food to the food pantry through the church. Often times, my mom would even donate her time to volunteer to help those in

Whether it is donating financially to charities, giving away old toys or clothes, or spending a few hours a month at a shelter, any help is always crucial to at least one person. Although possible, it is difficult for one individual to make a drastic difference. However, when people band together within groups or organizations with a common goal, that objective becomes much more attainable. Unfortunately, we live in a world where many people can and will take advantage of charity. This is why it is important to find a way to give assistance to individuals, not just blindly throw money at them and hope that they figure themselves out. I would be extremely reluctant simply to hand someone money. However, if they needed a meal, I might buy them something. I have had someone ask me for a MetroCard in New York. These items are more charitable to give than money alone because there is no other way to use them. A meal is a meal. A MetroCard can get you from one place to another. On the other hand, money could be used to buy alcohol, drugs, or other things that might have put the person in such a desperate situation to begin