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"T" is for "TSEDAKAH"*
*In Yiddish, tsedakah," "tsdoke" or "tsedokeh" means charity
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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*In Yiddish, tsedakah," "tsdoke" or "tsedokeh" means charity
The mega-selling alphabet mystery writer,Sue Grafton, did NOT write a book titled, "T is for Tsedakah." (She IS the author of "T is for Tresspass.)
Giving charity for Jews is an obligation ("hiskhayvis"), not just a nice thing to do. Of course, to do charity without expectation of reward or acknowledgment is best. In the Talmud, charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined.
According to Rabbi Shrage Simmons (Ask The Rabbi) "If you were running a humanitarian foundation, you'd make a thorough study of the best use of your money. It's the same with tsedakah. When you choose one project over another, you have to calculate ("rekhenen") why it is more effective than the other...There are so many possible projects: the poor, the sick, the uneducated, drug abuse, domestic violence, the homeless. Which should you pick?"
Rabbi Simmons reminds us that, "You can also protect someone's self-esteem by giving even before he asks."
On March 11, 2008, many restaurants across the U. S. and Canada will join together for this one day in donating 10% of their gross receipts to Meir Panim, a "tzedakah" organization in Israel. This non-profit organization is dedicated to providing daily, hot, nourishing meals to people of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds, including children from broken homes, Holocaust survivors, and victims of terror. Talia's Steakhouse and Bar, a Glatt Kosher restaurant in Manhattan, for example, is participating in this worthwhile project
Who else needs "tsedakah"? According to "The Jewish Poor" (Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty), "The Jewish poor are more likely to be married couples and live in neighborhoods with extensive Jewish infrastructure, including synagogues, day schools, kosher butchers, etc. The cost of living for them can be as much as 25% higher."
"Di frage"--the question--So, who are the Jewish poor? They are often recent refugees from the former Soviet Union. Not just Russian Jews. But Jews from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Chechnya.
The Jewish poor ("orem") also include Hasidic households in Brooklyn. These families have been blessed with many children, but lack the means to adequately clothe and feed them.
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty reminds us that "nearly all the Jewish poor share a common liability to reach out for help. Proud people who have never depended on others are too ashamed ("farshemt") to come forward and ask for assistance..Fear also keeps battered wives from making that first call for help"
In 2004, one-in-five Jews from the land of Bergdorf-Goodman department store, the grand Park Avenue Synagogue, and H H Bagels come from families making less than $21,678 per year.
In 2008, generosity helped keep sacred tradition alive. Rivka Averbukh celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at the Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. The Averbukh's, formerly of the Soviet Union, remembered their country, where families took their faith underground. Living in Florida, they had limited finances, and were not in a position to make a Bat Mitzvah for Rivka. George and Irene Spivak, who also had left Russia, offered to sponsor Rivka's Bat Mitzvah. Offers of help poured in: a dress was donated, a man volunteered to be the photograpaher for the party, and the invitations were donated after a printer heard Rivka's story. Yes, the rabbi told the crowd; the night was more than a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. It was a Victory Parade. Now that's "tsedakah"!
In conclusion, Deb Wilson wrote a piece titled, "The Anonymous Donor" in which she writes about a donation that came in to the Speedway Children's Charities every six to eight weeks. She wrote, "It has no return address, usually has a small drawing on the envelope (obviously a child's drawing), and a cashier's check for ten dollars mailed from Harrisburg, NC. She writes, "It definitely is not the largest donation we receive throughout the month, but it's one that touches all the employees here at the Speedway Charities every time it's received
The reason itmeans so much to us is
twofold. One, somewhere out there is an
adult (s) who has taken the time to drive
the child to the convenience store that the
cashier's check is drawn on, making the act
of giving a special activity. Second, the
child never leaves a name or return address; he or she just gives unconditionally
to other children in need.
Speedway Children's Charities is fortunate
to have such supporters as this child and
his or her parents; I only hope that I can
raise my own children to know what the
true meaning of giving is, as our
anonymous donor does."
(Source: "Chicken Soup for the NASCAR
Soul" by Canfield, Hansen, Adams, Aubery
& Autio," c2002)
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