The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1941-01-10
WISDOM
of the
TALMUD
Charity and Its
Significance
By MORRIS KRAMER

off thy sins by TZIDhAH anu
thine iniquities by showing mercy
to the poor" The word TZIDkAH
was afterwards changed to
TZEDAKAH which is understood
to signify thanksgiving" or more
properly righteousness"
If we would rather accept the
second definition of righteous
ness" the implication is that by
performing deeds of charity the
average person is merely doing his
duty towards his fellow-man in the
same way as God evidences his
kindness in aiding him, since
everything in the world belongs to
the Almighty who gives it to man
merely as loan.
This thought is borne ont in the
Rabbinic definition of TZEDAKAH
as follows: "Give unto Him of what
is His, seeing that you and what
YOU have are His: this is found
expressed by David who said,
For all things come of Thee, and
of Thine own have we given Thee
Il ChrOn. xxx, 14)"
The Talmudic law, Even the
beggar who is maintained by
charity must himself practice
charity" (Gitin 7b) indicates that
every person is obliged to carry
out this precept.
In these days of sorrow for the
Jew who by reason of the situation
in Europe is now entirely depend
ent upon the assistance of his
brethren in other countries not in
vOlved in the tragic war raging
abroad, it is more urgent than
ever that the Jew extend his aid
to his fellow creatures who must
perish unless he makes his con-
tribution for their salvation. The
appeals for charity all over the
country which are now made for
this wonderful purpose should not
go unheeded. Every person, no
matter what his circumstances
may be, should make his cOntri-
button in this great cause. Irres-
pective of the enjoyment the donor
will derive from his kind act, as
the rabbis of old pointed out, it is
a paramount duty of the Jew to
help his brother in distress.
To enumerate the horrors of
Wharf.-The destruction of life and
property. the savage acts of van
dalism. the indignities inflicted
upon the victims by the aggressors,
the suffering and the condition of
those still alive-this narrowing
tale would stagger the Imagination
if the true picture in all its lurid-
ness were presented. No doubt, it
is obvious that there is no person
Of any intelligence or feeling who
does not realize the tremendous
horror of the disaster and who is
not inexpressibly shocked by the
cruelty and the sadism of the
assailants.
BLESSED is he that cOnSidereth
the poor" says the Psalmist. 1t is
not stated, Blessed is he that CIV
eth to the poor" This passage re-
fers to the man who considers how
the good deed can be best perform
ed according to the Interpretation
of (Peah21b).
The thought that by contributing
a donation one does not give it, as
an act of mere almsgiving, but as
an investment which brings happy
returns is the explanation of the
following passage from Sabbath
63a: Superior is he who lends
money to the poor than the giver
of aims; and best of all is he who
invests money with poor man in
partnership"
When the significance of charity
is carefully considered by the in
dividnal who is called upon to as
sist his brother in distress, perhaps
he will remember this saying
which is also taken from Sabbath
156b, for this construction of the
meaning of charity is a deIiverance
for himself from what most per-
sons consider the greatest tragedy
of all. Charity doth deliver from