Tzedakah/Donate

Tzedakah is a Hebrew word commonly translated to mean “charity” but is more deeply based on a root word meaning “justice.” Judaism is informed by the understanding that the giving of tzedakah will bring peace and that every Jew, regardless of financial standing, is obligated to be philanthropic by sharing resources with those in greater need.

Tzedakah is commonly enacted by giving a portion of one’s income to an organization which facilitates services to enhance the lives of the impoverished, of orphans and widows, of the sick and those otherwise in need. Jewish brides and bridegrooms would traditionally have given to charity, to symbolize the sacred character of the marriage; at Passover, a major holiday in Jewish tradition, it is traditional to welcome hungry strangers with the words: “Kol difchin y’etay v’yechol” “Those who are hungry let them come and eat.”

To give in a Jewish way is to recognize that one is performing a just act – one is doing justice – by creating a level playing field for all people, enacting the balance in God’s creation. Jews neither give because it feels good, nor until it hurts. We are obligated to give because the need exists.

The great Jewish philosopher and Rabbinic scholar Maimonides (1135-1204) ordered ways of giving from weakest to strongest:

• Giving less than you should, but giving it cheerfully.
• Giving after being asked.
• Giving before being asked.
• Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows your identity.
• Giving when you know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know your identity.
• Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.
• Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant.

From this perspective, the strongest way of giving is by extending a resource that will give the recipient the opportunity to become self-reliant or as we say in the humanitarian field, to become “self-sustaining”.

Ve’ahavta has a vibrant fundraising department, directed by Kirill Zaretzky. We actively go out into the community informing our members about our tikkun olam projects, giving members of the community the opportunity to be partners in some very important work.

Throughout each campaign year we request funds of individuals, families, corporations and foundations to finance our operations both at home and abroad. Our annual campaign includes mailings, and the ability to give through shares and securities. Our website provides online donating.

Since its inception, Ve’ahavta has received over $4 million in goods-in-kind including warm winter coats for the homeless as well as pharmaceuticals and medical equipment for our work in the rainforests of Guyana. All gifts, including most in-kind-donations, are receiptable.

Ve’ahavta also conducts an annual Passover Seder for the Homeless where the homeless share a table together with other community members, our Native Canadian brothers and sisters, and individuals of all backgrounds enjoying the resources supplied by many caterers, gift companies, and others. This is an important way of giving as is our annual Creative Contest for the Homeless, when we award donated cash gifts to homeless individuals who submitted a poem or piece of literature, judged by world class writers and media personalities.

Ve’ahavta is always looking for individuals to join our Fundraising Cabinet. If you would like to be part of an energetic team of volunteers fulfilling one of the greatest mitzvot (deed) in the Torah of soliciting tzedakah, or are interested in assisting us financially or through gifts-in-kind for one of our projects, please contact our Director of Development.

To learn more about Tzedakah see: http://www.nishma.org/articles/journal/tzedakah.htm