review
In Tsedaka, the Biblical Tenth, (1993), Rabbi Raphael Evers examines the theoretical background and practical applications of religion-social duty to earn income. The donation of a tenth of the salary is the basis of the solidarity concept in the modern welfare state. Here’s a review.
data
- Title: Tsedaka, the Biblical Tenth
- Author: Rabbi R. Evers
- ISBN 90-74498-02-7
- Published: Netherlands Israelite Seminary, Amsterdam
- Year: 1993
The author
Rabbi Evers (1954) is a rabbi at the Dutch Israelite Denomination that belongs to the traditional orthodox Judaism. This book is described from this background.
Content
In Judaism it is called charity: tsedakaTsedaka comes from the word justice, which means that a person contributes something based on a sense of justice. Because in fact everything comes from Gd and is given to man to do good works with it and man is moreover dependent on the Creator, man is required in return. That return consists of supporting the poor, the sick and the needy.
The tsedaka ideal runs like a thread through the history of the Jewish people and plays a central role. Thus, it is one of the pillars of society and is seen as one of the conditions for the arrival of the Mashiach, the Talmud (Jewish commentary on the Torah) tells us.
Why do we donate money?
The Bible book of Proverbs says: “Whoever pursues justice and love will find life, justice and honor.” The urge to be charitable is in people. This has to do with our soul trying to become altruistic and thus become like the nature of G-d who constantly imparts enjoyment to our souls.
Not the body but the soul is our real structure and is connected with G-d. The soul is also the sole reason for our existence on Earth. While the body is physical, the soul is spiritual. The body is selfish, but the soul must learn to be altruistic and show us the way to Gd. The aim is to allow body and soul to work together harmoniously; they must become a unit. In this way the physical world can become a residence for G-d. Our Creator wants us to experience Him absolutely. We must merge completely with Gd.
Charity unifies the world and perfects the physical world. When someone donates, he is given a favor to be closer to Divinity.
The power of money
Money is the standard by which most people measure their self-worth. We invest energy and labor to make money. So money represents the energy of life. But it is G-d who gives you the power to make money. Giving money to charitable causes is most effective for spiritualizing the physical. In that case money is not a curse.
Many Jews have a tsedaka van at home to put money in for collections. Many are in the habit of putting money in the vans for every prayer. It has educational value for children: they can put part of their pocket money in the van. The Jewish sages believe that at least one-tenth of the salary should be spent on charity.
Charity is more than money
In addition to money, we can render our service to others with time, guidance or sympathy. Charity also means employing someone, providing a loan, or otherwise returning dignity and self-respect.
When it comes to money, you could see this as a financial loss. But Gd’s blessing on this is much more valuable. It means a thousandfold enrichment of heart and mind.
Conclusion
In addition to the backgrounds of tsedaka, the book also discusses the obligation, the rate, destination and payment. These are discussed in separate chapters. It is a clearly written story about an important biblical commission. If you want to know why charity is so important and how this should be propagated, this is a valuable book with a lot of wisdom from Jewish religious literature.