(א) חייבין אנו להזהר במצות צדקה יותר מכל מצות עשה שהצדקה סימן לצדיק זרע אברהם אבינו שנאמר כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו לעשות צדקה ואין כסא ישראל מתכונן ודת האמת עומדת אלא בצדקה שנאמר בצדקה תכונני ואין ישראל נגאלין אלא בצדקה שנאמר ציון במשפט תפדה ושביה בצדקה.
Tzedakah: The Untranslatable Virtue - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
But mishpat alone cannot create a good society. To it must be added tzedakah, distributive justice. One can imagine a society which fastidiously observes the rule of law, and yet contains so much inequality that wealth is concentrated into the hands of the few, and many are left without the most basic requirements of a dignified existence. There may be high unemployment and widespread poverty. Some may live in palaces while others go homeless. That is not the kind of order that the Torah contemplates. There must be justice not only in how the law is applied, but also in how the means of existence – wealth as God’s blessing – are distributed. That is tzedakah.
Tzedakah cannot be translated because it joins together two concepts that in other languages are opposites, namely charity and justice. Suppose, for example, that I give someone $100. Either he is entitled to it, or he is not. If he is, then my act is a form of justice. If he is not, it is an act of charity. In English (as with the Latin terms caritas and iustitia) a gesture of charity cannot be an act of justice, nor can an act of justice be described as charity. Tzedakah is therefore an unusual term, because it means both. It arises from the theology of Judaism, which insists on the difference between possession and ownership. Ultimately, all things are owned by God, creator of the world. What we possess, we do not own – we merely hold it in trust for God. The clearest example is the provision in Leviticus: “The land must not be sold permanently because the land is Mine; you are merely strangers and temporary residents in relation to Me” (Leviticus 25:23).
שמנה שמות נקראו לעני: עני, אביון, מסכן, רש, דל, דך, מך, הלך.
- עני, כמשמעו.
- אביון, שמתאב לכל,
- מסכן שהוא בזוי לכל, שנאמר (קהלת ט): וחכמת המסכן בזויה.
- רש, מן הנכסים.
- דל, מדולדל מן הנכסים.
- דך, מדוכדך רואה דבר ואינו אוכל, רואה דבר ואינו טועם ואינו שותה.
- מך, שהוא מך לפני כל עשוי, כמין סקופה התחתונה.
לפיכך משה מזהיר לישראל: וכי ימוך אחיך:
There are eight names for a poor person: ani, evyon, misken, rash, dal, each, mach, helech.
- Ani [afflicted] means literally “poor”
- Evyon [one who longs] because he longs (mita’ev) for everything
- Misken [despised] because he is despised by all as it says “The poor man’s (misken) wisdom is despised.” (Eccl 9:16)
- Rash [impoverished] because he is dispossessed (mitroshesh) of property
- Dal [detached] because he is detached (meduldal) from property
- Dach [oppressed] because he is crushed (meduchdach); he sees a thing but cannot eat it, he sees a thing and cannot taste it, and cannot drink it
- Mach [trampled upon] because he is lowly before everyone, like a kind of lowest threshold.
- Helech [vagrant] or Chelech [weak]
Therefore Moses warns Israel: "if your brother becomes poor…"
(לה) וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃
(35) And if your brother becomes impoverished, and his hand [means?] fails with you; then you should uphold him as a resident alien and a settler and he shall live with you.
(יג) ט֛וֹב יֶ֥לֶד מִסְכֵּ֖ן וְחָכָ֑ם מִמֶּ֤לֶךְ זָקֵן֙ וּכְסִ֔יל אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־יָדַ֥ע לְהִזָּהֵ֖ר עֽוֹד׃
(13) Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who no longer has the has the sense to heed warnings.
(ג) וְדָ֕ל לֹ֥א תֶהְדַּ֖ר בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ (ס)
(3) nor shall you show deference to a poor man in his dispute.
"Why have we fasted, and You did not see; we have afflicted our soul and You do not know?" Behold, on the day of your fast you pursue business, and [from] all your debtors you exact [payment]. Behold, for quarrel and strife you fast, and to strike with a fist of wickedness. Do not fast like this day, to make your voice heard on high.Will such be the fast I will choose, a day of man's afflicting his soul? Is it to bend his head like a fishhook and spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast I will choose? To undo the fetters of wickedness, to untie the bands of perverseness, and to let out the oppressed free, and all perverseness you shall eliminate. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and moaning poor you shall bring home; when you see a naked one, you shall clothe him, and from your flesh you shall not hide. Then your light shall break forth as the dawn, and your healing shall quickly sprout, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall gather you in.