tzedakah
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Hebrew צְדָקָה (“charity”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tzedakah (usually uncountable, plural tzedakahs)
Usage notes edit
The description as "charity" is a rough approximation. While charity typically refers to the voluntary giving of money to someone less fortunate, tzedakah is obligatory and unrelated to the affluence of giver or receiver; Jews are required to give of their own resources to others and even those whose entire livelihood comes from receiving tzedakah are required to give tzedakah in turn. Tzedakah can take the form of any resource: money, time, advice, etc. Thus, according to Jewish tradition, the highest form of tzedakah is to give a person a job or partnership that will allow him to sustain himself without receiving tzedakah.