Tzedakah Requirements

The Activism of Abraham

The lives of Abraham and Job provide us with two models for confronting poverty.

Providing Food, Clothing, and Shelter

Jewish communal institutions address the problems of the poor, but individual efforts still make a crucial difference to many in need.

Pe’ah: The Corners of Our Fields

Rabbinic commentators interpreted the law of leaving the corners of one's field for those in need in light of their own concerns about the poor.

Applying Rabbinic Law on Tzedakah Priorities

The rabbinic sages taught that humans should emulate God by meeting the particular needs of people in trouble. But how should one go about that today?

Providing What is Lacking

Jewish texts on social justice describe the tension between providing what is needed and providing what is affordable.

Preventing Dependency

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." How many fish do we buy, and how many nets?

Investigating Tzedakah Requests: A Talmudic Inquiry

Do we respond immediately to a claim of dire need, or perform

Tzedakah Guidelines

Jewish texts discuss how much to give and to whom.

Investigating the Individuals to Whom We Contribute

A contemporary Conservative rabbi reviews the Jewish legal literature for guidance on how much to ask about a person who solicits us for tzedakah--or whether to give to all who request our help.