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

Tzedakah - shape Paper ExampleThe Hebrew word zedakah or tsedakah has been translated into English meaning either righteousness or charity. In earlier time it was referred to also as alms large(p). It can be defined as an bit of duty incumbent upon men of means to provide for those in want. (Jacobs et al. 2011, no page number). One of the briny principles of Jewish faith is obedience to Gods laws, and within the Torah there is provision for widows and orphans through a system of well-favored from the rich. Heil humanness reports that when he conducted a survey on charity among Orthodox Jews, one man responded I take back 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 counselling of expressing ones identity as a Jew, and of showing ones righteousness to begin with God and before other people. It is not just a voluntary sign of goodwill, but a formal ritual that is a compulsory and fundamental part of being Jewish. There is a axiom charity begins at home (Goldman 2000, p. 250) and this encompasses the duty that p arents shake up 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 sm any 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 requisite. In modern times it is all too easy to forget 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 there would be far less(prenominal) 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 t severallyers are famed for stopping what they are doing to help the needy. Hospitality is a basic duty in the Middle eastside, and it offers an opportunity to be human 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 con nection between the giving of tzedakah and the life of