How Far Would You Go
To Save a Life?.
Question #1: If someone you did not know that lived next door was starving to death and you knew about it, would you be required to give them money or food? The other person does not know that you know.
Question #2: If someone you did not know that lived in Ft. Worth was starving to death and you knew about it, would you be required to give them money or food? The other person does not know that you know.
Question #3: If someone you did not know that lived in India or Somalia or Yemen was starving to death and you knew about it, would you be required to give them money or food? The other person does not know that you even exist.
Where do our ideas of correct/good/right come from?
Jewish Library Catalog
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Mishneh Torah :
The first codified Jewish law book. It breaks down all of Jewish law into logical categories like "Belief," "Relationships" and "Business Law." It's sort of a "how to" book of Jewish living. Written by the RaMBaM, Rabbi Moses Maimonides, who was born in Spain in 1138 and moved to Egypt. The Rambam is one of the great Rabbinic writers of all times and he is considered an authority in his Jewish legal rulings by Sephardic Jews as well as many Habad Hasidim.
(יג) עָנִי שֶׁהוּא קְרוֹבוֹ קֹדֶם לְכָל אָדָם. עֲנִיֵּי בֵּיתוֹ קוֹדְמִין לַעֲנִיֵּי עִירוֹ. עֲנִיֵּי עִירוֹ קוֹדְמִין לַעֲנִיֵּי עִיר אַחֶרֶת. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים טו יא) "לְאָחִיךָ לַעֲנִיֶּךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ בְּאַרְצֶךָ":
Helping a poor person who is a relative comes before anyone else. Your own household comes before the needs of the rest of your city. And the needs of your city come before the needs of poor people in another city, since it is written in the Torah: Open your hand to the poor and needy people of your land.
See the Talmud, Bava Metzia 71a for the way the Rabbis understood this verse.
(ו) הַתַּמְחוּי נִגְבֶּה בְּכָל יוֹם. וְהַקֻּפָּה מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת. וְהַתַּמְחוּי לַעֲנִיֵּי עוֹלָם. וְהַקֻּפָּה לַעֲנִיֵּי אוֹתָהּ הָעִיר בִּלְבַד:
(6) The tamhuey is collected each day, and the kupah is collected each Sabbath eve. The tamhuey is given to the poor everywhere, and the kupah is given to the poor of that city alone.
(א) כָּל עִיר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל חַיָּבִין לְהַעֲמִיד מֵהֶם גַּבָּאֵי צְדָקָה אֲנָשִׁים יְדוּעִים וְנֶאֱמָנִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מַחְזִירִין עַל הָעָם מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְלוֹקְחִין מִכָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מַה שֶּׁהוּא רָאוּי לִתֵּן וְדָבָר הַקָּצוּב עָלָיו. וְהֵן מְחַלְּקִין הַמָּעוֹת מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְנוֹתְנִין לְכָל עָנִי וְעָנִי מְזוֹנוֹת הַמַּסְפִּיקִין לְשִׁבְעָה יָמִים. וְזוֹ הִיא הַנִּקְרֵאת קֻפָּה:
(1) Any city in which there is a Jewish community is obligated to raise up collectors of tzedakah, people who are well-known and trustworthy, to go door-to-door among the people from Sabbath eve to Sabbath eve and to take from each and every one what is appropriate for them to give. Each person is obligated to give a set amount based on their wealth. They also distribute the money from Sabbath eve to Sabbath eve and give to each and every poor person enough food to last them for seven days. This is how the kupah works.
(ב) וְכֵן מַעֲמִידִין גַּבָּאִין שֶׁלּוֹקְחִין בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם מִכָּל חָצֵר וְחָצֵר פַּת וּמִינֵי מַאֲכָל אוֹ פֵּרוֹת אוֹ מָעוֹת מִמִּי שֶׁמִּתְנַדֵּב לְפִי שָׁעָה. וּמְחַלְּקִין אֶת הַגָּבוּי לָעֶרֶב בֵּין הָעֲנִיִּים וְנוֹתְנִין לְכָל עָנִי מִמֶּנּוּ פַּרְנָסַת יוֹמוֹ. וְזֶהוּ הַנִּקְרָא תַּמְחוּי:
(2) Each community must appoint people to collect tzedakkah on a day-to-day basis. Each household must contribute some either food or money, and the tzedakkah collectors distribute this in the evening among the poor people of the city so that they can make it through the next day. This method is called the tamhuey.