Tzedakah

Tzedakah (Hebrew: "righteousness") The most common is charity, but the root and related words mean justice or righteousness.
There are many traditions around giving tzedakah or charity. Some examples are contributing to a charity box each Shabbat or in religious school. Some families keep a box at home; some congregations keep a box at the entrance to the sanctuary. On the High Holidays, some congregations hold food drives. Donating at Purim is an old tradition.
Maimonides listed 8 "degrees" of charity, with the lowest being when someone reluctantly gives, while the highest is when you help someone to be able to take care of him or herself.
==See also==
* Tikkun Olam
==References==
* Wikipedia Article: Tzedakah
* Jonathan J. Baker's translation of Maimonides 8 degrees
Category:Hebrew
Category:Terminology