Tzedakah

צדקה

Today, Leah and I are honoring her father's heritage, as well as starting a new practice in light of the call to give.  We're setting out our new tzedakah box.  Friday night, while we were at the craft store picking up some things for Thanksgiving, we got a chip-wood box.  Leah decorated it.  We wanted to keep it simple - here's a picture...... 

  

If you don't know, the word "tzedakah" (charity) comes from the Hebrew root that means justice, or righteousness.  So, while you may consider this standard charity, it's less about an act of generosity coming from a place of abundance, and more about an act of fairness.  There is no doubt that caring for the poor among us is one of the chief principles of the Christian walk.  It's not just a nice thing to do - it's our obligation.  To be frank, it's an obligation that I'm not so good at.  I mean aside from the occasional street hand-out, I'm not a very responsible giver when it comes to helping those in need.

There are several levels of tzedakah - here they are, listed from least to best: 

• Giving begrudgingly
• Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully
• Giving after being asked
• Giving before being asked
• Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
• Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
• Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
• Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant

Plan is that, as we clean the house, any loose change will go into the box.  Also, and this may be rough considering the time of year, I want to try what I did for Lent.  For any 'frivilous' purchase I make (something for myself that isn't a necessity), I'll set aside the same amount for tzedakah.  This should help me cut down on bringing more stuff in the house, too.  It makes me have to think about what I'm buying.  Anyway, when the box is full, well... we're going to have to figure that out.  Maybe give it to the Deacons' benevolence fund, maybe find a different charity.  Not sure yet.  But, either way, it's getting given. 

I don't think we'll find enough to make anybody financially independent, but it can't help anyone if it's stuck in my sofa cushions.