צדקה - Tzedakka

(1) It is a positive commandment to give charity1Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 195) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 479) include this commandment as one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. to the poor among the Jewish people,2Note, however, Halachah 7. according to what is appropriate for the poor person3I.e., his needs as defined by his social standing. if this is within the financial capacity of the donor,4I.e., he is not obligated to borrow to give charity to a colleague. Alternatively, he is not obligated to give more than one fifth of his own resources, as stated in Halachah 5 (Rav Yosef Corcus). as [Deuteronomy 15:8] states: "You shall certainly open your hand to him." [Leviticus 25:35] states: "You shall support him, a stranger and a resident and they shall live with you," and [ibid.:36] states: "And your brother shall live with you."

(2) Anyone who sees a poor person asking5The Tzaphnat Paneach states that the negative commandment is violated only when the poor person asks. If he does not, there is no prohibition. and turns his eyes away from him and does not give him charity transgresses a negative commandment,6Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 232) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 478) includes this commandment as one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. as [Deuteronomy 15:7] states: "Do not harden your heart or close your hand against your brother, the poor person."

(3) We are commanded to give a poor person according to what he lacks. If he lacks clothes, we should clothe him. If he lacks household utensils, we should purchase them for him. If he is unmarried, we should help him marry. And for an unmarried woman, we should find a husband for her.
Even if the personal habit of this poor person was to ride on a horse and to have a servant run before him7To announce his coming. and then he became impoverished and lost his wealth, we should buy a horse for him to ride and a servant to run before him.8Ketubot 67b relates that a person from a dignified family became impoverished and the great Sage Hillel would hire a servant to run before him and announce his coming. Once Hillel could not find such a servant and performed this service himself. [This is implied by Deuteronomy 15:8 which] speaks [of providing him with] "enough to [fill the] lack that he feels."9Because of his previous lifestyle, this person feels a severe lack if he does not have these conveniences. You are commanded to fill his lack, but you are not obligated to enrich him.10Thus there are times when providing a certain person with what he feels are his needs will require a greater expense than providing another with what he views as luxuries.
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 250:1) quotes the Rambam's ruling. The Rama states that this ruling applies to a collector of charity or to the community at large, but not to an individual person. An individual is not required to personally attempt to meet all of a colleague's needs. Instead, it is sufficient for him to inform the community of the problem. If, however, there are no communal resources, he is individually obligated to help the person if he has the capacity. See also Halachot 5 and 7 and notes.

(9) When a poor person does not desire to take charity, we trick him and give it to him as a present or as a loan.26For in this way, he will not be embarrassed to take. When a rich man starves himself, because he is miserly with his money, using it for neither food nor drink, we do not pay any attention to him.27I.e., we do not support him with charity.

(10) When a person does not want to give charity or desires to give less than what is appropriate for him, the court should compel him and give him stripes for rebellious conduct28A punishment instituted by the Sages in many instances including the failure to observe a positive Scriptural commandment.
Tosafot, Bava Batra 8b, questions this ruling, noting that Chulin 110b states that a court is not obligated to administer punishment for any positive commandment for which a reward is given for its observance. And charity is one of the mitzvot for which we are promised a reward in this material world. The Radbaz explains that according to the Rambam, there is no difficulty, because according to the Rambam, the commandment to give charity is reinforced by a negative commandment, not to refrain from doing so. In such a situation, the principle cited from Chulin does not apply. The Radbaz also explains that we are more stringent in this instance, because the welfare of the poor is involved. until he gives the amount it was estimated that he should give. We take possession of his property when he is present29But not in his absence (Ketubot 48a; Siftei Cohen 248:4). See also Hilchot Ishut 12:15. and expropriate the amount that is appropriate for him to give. We expropriate property for the sake of charity even on Fridays.30I.e., we do not excuse a person from giving based on the rationale that he is preoccupied with his Sabbath preparations.

(1) In every city where Jews live, they are obligated to appoint faithful,1See Chapter 10, the conclusion of Halachah 8. men of renown as trustees of a charitable fund. They should circulate among the people from Friday to Friday and take from each person what is appropriate for him to give and the assessment made upon him. They then allocate the money from Friday to Friday, giving each poor person sufficient food for seven days. This is called the kupah.2The term literally means "container" and refers to the charity box in which donations were placed and by extension, to the fund financed by those collections.

(2) Similarly, we appoint trustees who take bread, different types of food, fruit, or money from every courtyard from those who make a spontaneous donation and divide what was collected among the poor in the evening, giving each poor person sustenance for that day. This is called the tamchui.3In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Keilim 13:3), the Rambam defines this term as a pot with compartments.

(3) We have never seen nor heard of a Jewish community that does not have a kupah for charity. A tamchui, by contrast, exists in some communities, but not in others. The common practice at present is that the trustees of the kupah circulate [among the community and collect] every day and divide [the proceeds] every Friday.4So that the poor will have their Sabbath needs provided for.

(1) The amount of charity one should give is as follows: if one can but afford, let him give as much as is needed. Under ordinary circumstances, a fifth of one's property is most laudable. To give one-tenth is the average disposition. But to give less than one-tenth is niggardly. When the Rabbis said a "fifth" they meant a fifth of the property the first year only and a fifth of the profits in succeeding years.
RMI.—But a man should not squander more than one-fifth to charity, so that he might not himself become a public charge.This refers only to his lifetime. Of course, at the time of death one may leave for charity as much as he pleases.

(2) One should never give less than one-third of a Shekel a year and if he gives less than this, he does not fulfil the command to be charitable.

(3) Charity should be given with a friendly countenance, with joy, and with a good heart; the giver should, sympathize with the poor man, and should speak words of comfort to him. If he gives with a displeased countenance he loses his reward.

(4) If the poor man stretches out his hand and he has nothing to give him, he should not scold and raise his voice to him, but should speak gently to him and show him his goodness of heart; namely, that he wishes to give him something but cannot. RMI.—It is forbidden to turn away a poor man entirely empty-handed. Let him give something, if only a fig, for it is written, "Oh, let not the oppressed return ashamed."1Psalms 74:21.

(5) If he can induce others to give, his reward is greater than the reward of the one who gives.

(6) The following are eight grades of charity work, arranged in a descending scale. The noblest form is to strengthen the hand of an Israelite in need, to give him a gift or a loan, or to join him in partnership, or to find him work, that he may not become a public charge and beggar; and it is with reference to such a mode of charity that the Bible says, "… thou shalt uphold him."1Leviticus 25:35.

(7) The next highest form of doing charity is to give in such a way that the giver should not know to whom he gives; nor should the receiver know from whom he receives. Contributing to a charity fund is a close analogy; but one should not contribute to a fund unless he knows that the official in charge of it is trustworthy and knows how to manage it properly.

(8) A somewhat lower form than that is when the giver knows to whom he gives but the receiver knows not from whom he receives; as the greatest of our sages used to do when they would secretly throw money into the doorways of the poor. This method is especially recommended where those appointed over the charities do not manage them properly.

(9) It is a still lower form when the poor man knows from whom he takes, but the giver knows not to whom he gives; as when the sages would tie money in a corner of a sheet and throw it over the shoulder, so that the poor might come and take it without humiliation.

(10) A still lower form—to give before being asked.

(11) Next,—to give a sufficient sum after the asking.

(12) To give, even what is insufficient, but with a pleasing countenance.

(13) The lowest form of charity is to give grudgingly.
RMI.—On the other hand a man should not pride himself on the charity he gives; for if he does, he not only receives no reward but there is punishment in store for him. However one may have his name inscribed on anything he donates, as a. remembrance,—in fact, it is the proper thing to do.

(14) It is well to give a coin to some poor man before every prayer, as it is written, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness" [or, "… with charity"].1Psalms 17:15.

(15) The Gabbaïm may use charity funds in their possession as dowries for poor virgins, for there is no greater charity than this.

(16) There is an authority that holds that Synagogue is more important than charity, but that maintaining poor boys in the study of the Law or supporting sick poor people is more important than the maintenance of a Synagogue.