For it is with age and the experience of life that one gains wisdom. Whereas the physical strength of an aging person is generally diminished, the faculties of the mind are enhanced. It is for this reason that the elderly must occupy and utilize their mental faculties, and aspire to greater spiritual growth. I advocate the establishment of learning institutions for the elderly for this express purpose. The Hebrew word tzedaka, commonly translated as charity, literally means justice or righteousness.
Charity connotes a generosity of spirit giving of the rich to the poor.
The Torah enumerates and defines many forms of punishment for sinners and convicted offenders, from simple fines to flogging and even capital punishment. Yet nowhere does it suggest incarceration as a form of punishment. With all other forms of punishment, the individual suffers the penalty, is cleansed of his sin, and is then restored to freedom where he is expected to resume a productive life in the making of a more G-dly world. As a prisoner, however , one is denied the freedom to fulfill his Divinely ordained mission, and hence, his reason for living. This is the consequence of the death penalty, a punishment which, if warranted by Torah, is the only atonement the offender can obtain.