Secular Lessons of Charity in the Old Testament and Beyond
Charity is an ancient concept relevant today
During my studies to become an adult bat mitzvah, I became fascinated with the historical bible — that is, as the title of Richard Friedman’s book asks, Who Wrote the Bible? Bible scholars agree that the Torah was written over many years, and have recognized several sources. It is widely held that Deuteronomy was written by the Levites, the group whose interests are most represented in the book.
The biblical account explains that Israel was originally an association of twelve tribes descended from Jacob. When the Israelites fled Egypt, they traveled in formation as groups of tribes. Following their entrance into Canaan and after winning wars to wrest the land from the Canaanites, the tribes settled there, beginning with the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh. The remaining tribes were allocated land, according to God’s instruction in Numbers 33:54, “by lot, clan by clan, with larger groups increase the share, with smaller groups reduce the share. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. You shall have your portions according to your ancestral tribes.” But the Levites are not assigned land, as it is explained in Numbers 18:23 where God said “But [the Levites] shall have no territorial share among the Israelites” because they were instead to be the keepers of the Tabernacle.
Biblical scholarship tells the story differently. Based on archaeological evidence, it is likely that the Israelites moved into lands that were not occupied or which were only sparsely occupied. Lands were, therefore, probably acquired peacefully. Almost certainly, the clans did not arrive together to divide territory among themselves. Rather, as these semi-nomadic groups searched for grazing land they settled into lightly populated areas, the entire process of settlement taking a great deal of time. Very likely, the Levites arrived too late to find any uninhabited land and so incorporated themselves into existing communities and looked to other means than farming and shepherding to make their living.
By the time Deuteronomy was written (following the Babylonian exile — that is, after 586 BCE), the Levites had been landless and working as household and temple priests for many years. Because they did not own land or raise their own livestock and had no independent means of support, they wrote the Law Code (Deuteronomy chapters 12–26) to provide for themselves. For example, the religious centralization laws prohibit laypersons from doing their own slaughtering of animals, thereby assuring the Levite priests employment, and it repeatedly requires the Israelites to care for the Levites. In fact, in this Torah portion alone, the requirement not to neglect the Levite appears seven times.
So it was with a cynical eye that I first read the section, disdaining the evident self-servedness. I reread the section a second time prepared to be more open-minded. While there are commandments to care for the Levites, the portion also commands caring for “the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.” Deuteronomy 15:7–8 states “If, however, there is a needy person among you . . . do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for what he needs.” Even as the Levites assured that they, as a group without property, were taken care of by those who had, they also made sure that others in need were also seen to. While not specifically called it here, the concept of tzedakah is clear in this section.
The biblical injunction for tzedakah (which is commonly thought of as charity, but literally translates to righteousness, justice, or fairness) forms the Jewish tradition of social responsibility and commitment to action for the good of others. Not just in Deuteronomy are the Jews told to care for the poor among them. Leviticus instructs farmers to leave part of their crop in the field so that the poor and the stranger can gather it for their use. The 41st Psalm begins “Happy is he that considereth the poor.” Isaiah counsels “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, And satisfy the afflicted soul; Then shall thy light rise in darkness.”
The biblical laws for the care of the poor were elaborated on in subsequent eras. The rabbinic sages came to regard tzedakah as the highest of all commandments. The Babylonian Talmud, in fact, says charity is equal to all the other commandments combined and says of the giver, “Whosoever practices charity and justice is as though he filled the whole world with loving-kindness.”
The Jewish commitment to caring for the less fortunate has a long history. Jews organized communities very early on for the relief of the needy. During medieval times, every Jew was taxed for the maintenance of charitable agencies. Every community had its central food depot from which food was distributed daily to all who applied and a charity fund from which money was distributed every Friday to the poor of the city. Funds were established to assure the decent burial of the indigent and to provide dowries for needy brides. Even more recently, in the shtetls of Eastern Europe, associations were established for the aid of the community. For example, one such group, the nursing association, provided nursing attendance for cases of prolonged illness so that the families of the sick could be allowed to rest. It provided medicine, supplies, and food to the needy, obtaining funds for its continued existence from weekly dues paid by every adult in town, from special pledges and collections during the holidays.
Over 800 years ago, Moses Maimonides wrote “It is preferable to spend more on gifts to the poor than on the Purim meal or presents to friends. For no joy is greater or more glorious than the joy of gladdening the hearts of the poor, the orphans, the widows and the strangers.” This particularly resonates for me, because as a secular Jew I don’t believe that I am commanded to do good, but rather I choose to do good out of a sense that it is “the right thing to do” — and doing the right thing gives me joy.
Tzedakah can be divided into three components: tzedakah in the narrow sense of making financial contributions; gemilut chesed (doing kind things for others) and tikkun olam (healing the world or social action). The obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by donating money to organizations that support the needy. It can be fulfilled by paying a shiva call to comfort a mourner. It can be fulfilled by teaching an adult learner to read, thereby making him self-sufficient. Whether we choose to give cash or our time and energy, Jews have a moral obligation to prevent hunger, homelessness, disease, abuse, and ignorance among all people.
As Jews, our mandate for tzedakah arises out of a religious and cultural heritage nurtured over more than 3000 years. Judaism has always exemplified compassion and we are morally obligated to the community in which we live — to see to the needs of our fellow human beings so that all people might live with dignity and self-respect. And, as Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
