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Jewish ethics - Charity

Jewish ethics - Charity: Encyclopedia II - Jewish ethics - Charity

The Jewish idea of righteousness ("tzedakah") includes benevolence and charity. The owner of property has no right to withhold from the poor their share. The Rabbis decreed against Essene practise, and against advice given in the New Testament, that one give away much, most or all of their possessions. Since they did not expect a supernatural saviour to come and take of the poor, they held that one must not make themselves poor. Given that nearly all Jews of their day were poor or middle-class (even the rich of that time were o ...

Jewish ethics, Jewish ethics - Medieval and early modern ethical literature, Jewish ethics - Jewish family ethics, Jewish ethics - Altruistic virtues, Jewish ethics - Prophetic ethics, Jewish ethics - Ethics in rabbinic literature, Jewish ethics - Justice, Jewish ethics - Truth and Peace, Jewish ethics - Charity, Jewish ethics - Peace and hatred, Jewish ethics - Sanctification of God's name, Jewish ethics - Animals and the environment, Jewish ethics - Bioethics

Jewish ethics, Jewish ethics - Altruistic virtues, Jewish ethics - Animals and the environment, Jewish ethics - Bioethics, Jewish ethics - Charity, Jewish ethics - Ethics in rabbinic literature, Jewish ethics - Jewish family ethics, Jewish ethics - Justice, Jewish ethics - Medieval and early modern ethical literature, Jewish ethics - Peace and hatred, Jewish ethics - Prophetic ethics, Jewish ethics - Sanctification of God's name, Jewish ethics - Truth and Peace

Jewish ethics: Encyclopedia II - Jewish ethics - Charity

Jewish ethics - Charity

The Jewish idea of righteousness ("tzedakah") includes benevolence and charity. The owner of property has no right to withhold from the poor their share.

The Rabbis decreed against Essene practise, and against advice given in the New Testament, that one give away much, most or all of their possessions. Since they did not expect a supernatural saviour to come and take of the poor, they held that one must not make themselves poor. Given that nearly all Jews of their day were poor or middle-class (even the rich of that time were only rich relative to the poor), they ruled that one should not give away more than a fifth of his income to charity, while yet being obligated to give away no less than 10% of his income to charity (Ket. 50a; 'Ar. 28a). Many folios of the Talmud are devoted to encouragement in giving charity (see, for example, B.B. 9b-11a; A.Z. 17b; Pes. 8a; Rosh. 4a), and this topic is the focus of many religious books and rabbinic responsa.