Charity: Difference between revisions
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# The mitzvah of tzedaka applies to men and women equally.<Ref>Sefer Hachinuch 479, Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 27</ref> | # The mitzvah of tzedaka applies to men and women equally.<Ref>Sefer Hachinuch 479, Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 27</ref> | ||
# Children should be trained to give tzedaka from the age of chinuch, which is around 5 or 6, if he has his own money.<ref>Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 32</ref> | # Children should be trained to give tzedaka from the age of chinuch, which is around 5 or 6, if he has his own money.<ref>Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 32</ref> | ||
# Someone who is poor nonetheless has an obligation to give a minimal amount of tzedaka.<ref>Based on Gittin 7b the Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 248:1 writes that even a poor person needs to give tzedaka. Shach 248:2 writes that this only refers to someone who has income to support himself but doesn't have capital to himself, however, someone who doesn't even have a steady income is completely exempt from tzedaka. However, the Nachlat Tzvi 248:1 disagrees and holds that every poor person needs to give a minimal amount of a third of a shekel. The poor person is not exempt from that; he is exempt from giving more tzedaka if he doesn't have an income. Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 33 agrees. See Shevet Halevi 5:132:2 and Igrot Moshe YD 2:113 s.v. ach. | # Someone who is poor nonetheless has an obligation to give a minimal amount of tzedaka, even if he is collecting tzedaka.<ref>Based on Gittin 7b, the Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 248:1 writes that even a poor person needs to give tzedaka. Shach 248:2 writes that this only refers to someone who has income to support himself but doesn't have capital to himself, however, someone who doesn't even have a steady income is completely exempt from tzedaka. However, the Nachlat Tzvi 248:1 disagrees and holds that every poor person needs to give a minimal amount of a third of a shekel. The poor person is not exempt from that; he is exempt from giving more tzedaka if he doesn't have an income. Laws of Tzedakah and Maaser p. 33 agrees. See Shevet Halevi 5:132:2 and Igrot Moshe YD 2:113 s.v. ach. B'orach Tzedaka ch. 3 fnt. 2 cites the Aruch Hashulchan and Derech Emunah who agree with the Nachlat Tzvi, while the Shevet Halevi 5:132:2 agrees with the Shach.</ref> | ||
# A poor person who doesn't have much shouldn't feel bad that he can't give much, because his small amount is like a wealthy person who gives a lot.<ref> Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 34:2, Borach Tzedaka 3:1 </ref> | |||
# A poor person who doesn't have much shouldn't feel bad that he can't give much, because his small amount is | |||
===Bracha=== | ===Bracha=== | ||
# There is no bracha recited for performing the mitzvah of [[Tzedaka]]. See the footnote for different reasons suggested.<ref> The Sh"t HaRashba 1:18 explains that there's no bracha for the mitzvah of tzadaka because it depends on the reciever and since it is possible that he receiver will not accept the money, chazal didn't establish a bracha for the mitzvah. The Aruch HaShulchan YD 240:2 explains that the reason there is no bracha for Tzadaka is because both Jews and non-Jews do this deed. Since the primary difference between a Jew and non-Jew who take such actions is the intent, that the Jew does it in order to fulfill a mitzvah and the non-Jew does it because its moral, for such an action one may not say "Asher Kideshanu" - we were commanded in this specific action.</ref> | # There is no bracha recited for performing the mitzvah of [[Tzedaka]]. See the footnote for different reasons suggested.<ref> The Sh"t HaRashba 1:18 explains that there's no bracha for the mitzvah of tzadaka because it depends on the reciever and since it is possible that he receiver will not accept the money, chazal didn't establish a bracha for the mitzvah. The Aruch HaShulchan YD 240:2 explains that the reason there is no bracha for Tzadaka is because both Jews and non-Jews do this deed. Since the primary difference between a Jew and non-Jew who take such actions is the intent, that the Jew does it in order to fulfill a mitzvah and the non-Jew does it because its moral, for such an action one may not say "Asher Kideshanu" - we were commanded in this specific action.</ref> | ||
