[yshavurah] Tzedakah

  • From: "Cheryl Levine" <clevineys@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Havurah Listserv" <yshavurah@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 20:02:40 -0400

Hi All!
I ran into this again in a recent "10 Minutes of Torah" and I always find it so 
fascinating:
Maimonides' Ladder of Tzedakah: 
1. To help someone else to become self-sufficient 
2. To give so that neither the person giving nor the receiver know each other's 
identity 
3. To give anonymously (donor knows the recipient, but the recipient doesn't 
know the donor)
4. To give without knowing who is receiving (recipient knows the donor, but the 
donor doesn't
    know the recipient) 
5. To give without being asked to give 
6. To give what is needed, but only after being asked 
7. To give less than one should, but with compassion and in a friendly manner 
8. To give grudgingly, reluctantly, or without wanting to give and not in a 
friendly manner 
(Mishneh Torah, Mat'not Aniyim 10:7-14) 
I sent out a letter a while ago (via email) to see if anyone had any energy or 
ideas to start a new tzedakah project--it doesn't have to be anything big, but 
something that might be helpful, useful?  I know we're all busy, so it will be 
important to keep an eye on the scale of the thing.  But I'd like to be doing 
something like this with my friends...
Let me know, I'd like to keep this going.  The clothing drive for the children 
of Sierre Leone was a HUGE success.
Thanks, 
Cheryl

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