What is tzedakah? Why Jewish giving means justice
By the My Daily Torah team · Updated
In short
Tzedakah is the Jewish practice of giving to people in need, usually money. The word comes from the Hebrew tzedek, which means justice or righteousness. That's why giving isn't treated as a nice extra for generous people. It's treated as the fair, right thing to do, the way things are supposed to be.
What does tzedakah mean in Hebrew?
״עשה צדקה ומשפט נבחר לה׳ מזבח״
“Doing what's right and fair means more to God than a sacrifice.”
Here's the surprise: the Hebrew word Jews use for giving isn't built on kindness or love. It's built on justice.
The English 'charity' comes from the Latin caritas, which means love or affection. Charity sounds like something you do when your heart is moved. Tzedakah comes from tzedek, the same root as tzaddik, a righteous person.
So when someone drops a few dollars in a cup on the subway, the Jewish framing isn't 'how nice of me.' It's closer to 'that's how it should be.'
Proverbs, King Solomon's book of short sayings about life, pairs tzedakah with mishpat, justice. Together they matter more to God than a sacrifice.
Where does tzedakah come from?
״פתח תפתח את ידך לאחיך לעניך ולאבינך בארצך״
“Open your hand, really open it, to your people who are poor and struggling in your land.”
The idea runs straight through the Torah, the Five Books of Moses. In Deuteronomy, the Torah pictures someone in your own town who's struggling, and it says don't harden your heart and don't keep your fist closed.
A few verses later comes a line that sounds almost blunt: there will always be people in need. It isn't a shrug. It's the reason given for what comes next, open your hand.
The Hebrew doubles the verb, literally 'open, you shall open.' It's the Bible saying it twice for emphasis. Not a crack. Really open it.
How does tzedakah actually work?
There's no single ceremony. People give money, food, time or help to people and causes they choose. A few habits show up in a lot of Jewish homes.
The tzedakah box. A small container, often a tin or a little painted box, kept at home or in synagogue for coins. In Yiddish it's called a pushke.
Before Shabbat. Many families drop coins in right before lighting candles for Shabbat, the weekly day of rest from Friday evening to Saturday night. It's a small way to start the weekend with someone else in mind.
The levels of giving. A well-known medieval Jewish code ranks eight levels of giving. Giving anonymously ranks above giving that embarrasses the person receiving it.
The very top level is helping someone become self-sufficient, so they don't need to ask again. That's the justice idea one more time. The goal isn't a warm feeling for the giver. It's a person back on their feet.
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Why do people still love doing it?
״לא יועילו אוצרות רשע וצדקה תציל ממות״
“Money made the wrong way won't help you, but doing right saves from death.”
Part of it is how simple it is. You don't need to believe anything specific or read a word of Hebrew to put a dollar in a jar.
Part of it is the reframe. When giving is about what's right, not how generous you feel, you don't wait for the mood to strike. It turns into a habit, and habits are what actually add up.
It also shows up at the most serious time of the Jewish year. The High Holiday prayers name three things together: teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah (return, prayer and giving).
In this verse from Proverbs, tzedakah means doing right in general. Over time the same word came to mean giving. That shift says a lot about how Jews think about money: helping someone is just part of being a decent person.
How can you try tzedakah with zero background?
Find a box. Any jar works. Plenty of people start with an empty coffee can or a mason jar on the kitchen counter.
Pick a moment. Friday evening is the classic, but anything regular works: payday, Sunday morning, your first coffee of the week.
Drop in whatever's in your pocket. The amount matters less than the rhythm. When it fills up, send it somewhere it'll make a real difference, like a food bank, a neighbor or a fund that helps people find work.
Want to try the anonymous level? Give once this week without telling anyone. See how it feels to do something good with zero credit.
Questions people ask
What is a tzedakah box?
A tzedakah box, called a pushke in Yiddish, is a small container for coins kept at home or in synagogue. People drop in spare change, often right before lighting Shabbat candles on Friday evening. When it's full, the money goes to people or causes in need.
What does tzedakah mean in English?
It's usually translated 'charity,' but the Hebrew root tzedek means justice or righteousness. So tzedakah is closer to 'doing what's right' than 'being generous.' In Jewish thinking, helping someone in need isn't an optional kindness. It's part of what a fair world looks like.
What are teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah?
They're three things named together in the High Holiday prayers, around Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Teshuvah means return, turning back toward God and toward doing right. Tefillah means prayer. Tzedakah means giving to people in need.
Is tzedakah only about money?
Money is the most common form, and the tzedakah box is all about coins. But the idea underneath, doing right by someone in need, goes further. The highest level in a famous medieval ranking is helping someone become self-sufficient, which often takes more than cash.
Sources
Every Hebrew line on this page is copied word for word from the source and checked against Sefaria, the free online library of Jewish texts. The English is our own translation.