Tzedakah Priorities (Limmud 2010)

Tzedakah Priorities (Limmud 2010)

Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metzia 71a

בבא מציעא ע״א א:ג׳

דתני רב יוסף (שמות כ"ב) אם כסף תלוה את עמי את העני עמך, עמי ונכרי - עמי קודם, עני ועשיר - עני קודם, ענייך ועניי עירך - ענייך קודמין, עניי עירך ועניי עיר אחרת - עניי עירך קודמין.

Bava Metzia 71a:3

R. Joseph taught: If you lend money to any of my people that are poor with you: [this teaches, if the choice lies between] a Jew and a non-Jew, a Jew has preference; the poor or the rich, the poor takes precedence; your poor [i.e. your relatives] and the [general] poor of your town, your poor come first; the poor of your city and the poor of another town, the poor of your own town have prior rights. [Soncino translation]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. How do you determine the recipients of your tzedakah?

2. What causes us to attend to the needs of some over the needs of others?

3. How do we both acknowledge that we prioritize our giving and at the same time work to end all hardship?

Tosefta, Gittin 3:13

עיר שיש בה ישראל וגוים הפרנסין גובין מישראל ומגוים מפני דרכי שלום מפרנסין עניי גוים עם עניי ישראל מפני דרכי שלום.

Mishnah_Gittin.3.13

A city that has Jews and non-Jews, the communal tzedakah-organizers collect from Jews and non-Jews for the sake of the ways of peace, and support poor non-Jews along with poor Jews for the sake of the ways of peace.

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. How does the prioritization of this text differ from the first text?

2. Which one reflects your approach to giving?

3. Do you believe that Jews should give to Jews and non-Jews equally? Why or why not?

4. Which text should serve as a model for Jewish communal giving today?