OBM Tzedakah - full chronological source list

(22) Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which is brought forth in the field year by year.

If there will be among you a needy person, from one of your brothers in one of your cities, in your land the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not close your hand from your needy brother. Rather, you shall open your hand to him, and you shall lend him sufficient for his needs, which he is lacking. Beware, lest there be in your heart an unfaithful thought, saying, "The seventh year, the year of release has approached," and you will begrudge your needy brother and not give him, and he will cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin to you. You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; for because of this thing the Lord, your God, will bless you in all your work and in all your endeavors. For there will never cease to be needy within the land. Therefore, I command you, saying, you shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor one, and to your needy one in your land.

(16) He used to say: It is not up to you to finish the work, but you are not free to abandon it.

(1) It was taught in an earlier text: if (the poor person) was going door to door, we are not required to assist him (with charity). (Rav Sama brought up a contrary point) and said to him: When it says we are not required to assist him, it refers to a big gift. However, we are still required to give a small gift.

My fathers stored in a place which can be tampered with, but I have stored in a place which cannot be tampered with, as it says, Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne. (Psalms 89,15)

§ The Gemara raises a contradiction between this statement of Rabbi Yosei and another statement of Rabbi Yosei. It was taught in a baraita: In the case of a spring belonging to the residents of a city, if the water was needed for their own lives, i.e., the city’s residents required the spring for drinking water, and it was also needed for the lives of others, their own lives take precedence over the lives of others. Likewise, if the water was needed for their own animals and also for the animals of others, their own animals take precedence over the animals of others. And if the water was needed for their own laundry and also for the laundry of others, their own laundry takes precedence over the laundry of others. However, if the spring water was needed for the lives of others and their own laundry, the lives of others take precedence over their own laundry.

Rabbi Yosei disagrees and says: Even their own laundry takes precedence over the lives of others, as the wearing of unlaundered clothes can eventually cause suffering and pose a danger. The Gemara clarifies the difficulty presented by this baraita: Now, if with regard to laundry, Rabbi Yosei said that refraining from laundering one’s clothes involves pain and affliction,

(1) 1. It is a positive commandment to give Tzedaka to poor people according to what is appropriate for the recipient if the donor can afford it as it says "You shall surely open your hand to him" and it says "And you shall strengthen the stranger and he shall live among you." And it says "and your brother shall live among you."

(2) 2. Anyone who deliberately ignores a beggar and does not give to him commits a sin as it says "Thou shalt not strengthen thy heart nor tighten thy hand against your poor brother."

(3) 3. You are obligated to give the poor person what he lacks. If he does not have clothing, clothe him. If he does not have furniture, buy him furniture. If he is single, marry him/her off. Even if the poor person used to be extremely rich and ride a horse everywhere and had a slave to run before him, provide that as well as it says "[make up to him] his lack which he lacks." You are commanded to make up what he lacks, but not to enrich him.

(4) 4. With regard to an orphan for whom people are seeking to find a wife for him to marry: First, we rent for him a house, provide for him a bed and all his household necessities and then we seek to find a wife for him to marry.

(5) 5. When a poor person comes and asks for his needs to be met and the giver does not have the financial capacity, he should give him according to his financial capacity. How much? The most desirable way of performing the mitzvah is to give one fifth of one's financial resources. Giving one tenth is an ordinary measure. Giving less [than that] parsimony. A person should refrain from giving less than a third of a shekel a year. A person who gives less than this has not fulfilled the mitzvah. Even a poor person who derives his livelihood from charity is obligated to give charity to another person.

(6) 6. If there is a poor person that you don't know , and he says "I am hungry," you should feed him without ascertaining whether he is being dishonest . Rather you should feed him immediately. If he is unclothed, and he says "clothe me," check to see if he is being dishonest. But if you know him then clothe him immediately ,without checking into him, because it is for his honor (I.e. Dignity).

We are obligated to be more scrupulous in fulfilling the commandment of tzedakah than any other positive commandment because tzedakah is the sign of the righteous, the seed of Abraham our father, as it is said, “For I know him that he will command his children to do tzedakah.” The throne of Israel and the religion of truth is upheld only through tzedakah, as it is said, “In tzedakah shall you be established” (Isaiah 54:14). Israel is redeemed only through tzedakah, as it is said, “Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and those that return by tzedakah” (Isaiah 1:27)

(7) There are eight levels of charity, one above the other. The greatest level that has nothing above it is to strengthen the hand of a Jew who has become poor and give him a gift or loan or create a partnership with him or make up some work for him, so as strengthen his hand until he does not [any longer] need to ask others [for help].

(8) Lower than that is when one gives charity to the poor and does not know to whom he is giving, and the poor person does not know from whom he is taking - since, behold, this is [performance of] the commandment for its own sake.

(9) Lower than that is when the giver knows to whom he is giving, but the poor person does not know from whom he is taking.

(10) Lower than that is when the poor person knows from whom he took and the giver does not know.

(11) Lower than that is when one gives it to him in his hand before he asks.

(12) Lower than that is when he gives it to him after he asks.

(13) Lower than that is when he gives him less than what is fit, [but] with a pleasant demeanor.

(14) Lower than that is when he gives it to him sadly.

(17) It is good for people to increase in their gifts to the poor more than they increase in their meal and the gifts that they send to their companions, for there is no greater or more glorious joy than to bring happiness to the hearts of the poor and orphans and widows and strangers, for he who brings happiness to the hearts of these unfortunate people is compared to the Divine Presence, as it says, "To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15).

(3) וזהב וכסף ונחושת, “as well as gold, silver, and copper.” These three elements correspond to the gifts (tzedakah) a person dispenses; when he does so while in perfect health, it is compared to gold, i.e. as if he had handed out gold. If he dispenses charitable gifts while sick, this is accounted for him as if he had given away silver. If he bequeaths money to charity to be dispensed after he has died, it is considered as if he had handed out copper coins.

Know, a person is driven by his action, his heart and mind are always drawn after his actions - be they good or bad. Even a completely wicked individual and in his heart is all wickedness, however, if he commits his spirit and put all of his efforts to performance of mitzvot and the study of Torah, even if he does so for a purpose other that the sake of heaven, this person will immediately tip towards the good, and, through the performance of these acts for the non-ideal intentions, he will come to do them in for the highest purposes. It is through the force of action that he will kill the urge to do bad, because - it is action which shapes the heart

(1) Every person if obligated to give charity, even a pauper who is reliant on charity is obligated to give from what is given to him. One who gives less than what is fit for (him) to give, the court would force him and whip him lashes of rebellion until he gives what they evaluated he should give. They go to his property in his presence and take what is fit for him to give.

(1) The amount one should give [is as follows]. If one can afford it, he should give according to the needs of the poor. If one can not afford so much, he should give up to a fifth of his wealth - that is the best [way of performing] the mitzvah. A medium way is to give a tenth. Less than that is stingy. Giving a fifth that was referred to, means from one's overall assets the first year, and from then on giving one's profits annually. NOTE: "A person should not give more than a fifth so he should not be dependent on others. This is during his lifetime, but when he is about to pass away he can give as much charity as he wishes. A person should not use his charity to perform mitzvot such as [giving] candles to the synagogue etc., but he should give it to the poor."

(3) One who gives his non-minor sons and daughters, whom he is not obligated to feed, in order to teach the sons Torah and to direct the daughters on the straight path, and so one who gives gifts to his father and they need them, behold this is in the category of tzedakah. And not only that, but he is required to give [the relative] precedence over others. And even if it is not his son or father, but a relative, he must give him precedence to all others. And his paternal brother takes precedence over his maternal brother. And the poor of his household take precedence over the poor of his city; and the poor of his city take precedence over the poor of another city. (so is found in the Sma”g and Sma”k and Tur) Gloss: Those who are fixed in a city are called the poor of that city, and they take precedence to other poor people who come there from elsewhere (Tur, unlike R”Y son of Baruch). The residents of Israel take precedence to the residents of the diaspora. Gloss: Supporting himself takes precedence over everyone, and he is not obligated to give tzedakah until he has his own sustenance, and afterwards he prioritizes the support of his father and mother, if they are poor, and they take precedence to sustaining his sons. And afterwards, his sons, and they take precedence to his brothers, and they take precedence to other relatives, and relatives take precedence to neighbors, and neighbors to the people of the city, and the people of his city to the people of another city. And the same is true if they were taken captive and he needed to redeem them (This is all in the Tur)