Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 16, 1992 Page: 4 of 24
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vpmioil 4 TEXAS JEWISH POST, THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1992-IN OUR 45TH YEAR!
CONTINUITY
The Mitzvah of Tzedakah
by
Dr. Avrum Cohen
Executive Vice President
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas
In a world of United Way, March of Dimes and the
annual Labor Day telethon for “Jerry’s kids”, what’s
so different about Tzedakah?
Only everything!
From earliest times, the Torah, the prophets and the
rabbis left no room for questions on Tzedakah’s centra-
lity in Jewish life. It is essential, they taught, if one is to
be a good Jew — or, as R. Assi stated in the Talmud,
“as important as all the other commandments put to-
gether.” Nor is the fulfillment of Tzedakah left to indi-
vidual interpretation. Instruction on the “how to” of
giving is clear and straightforward.
We remember learning in Sunday School about the details of the harvesting the
fields and what must be left for the poor. Exodus gives us the Sabbatical year not
only “that the poor may eat,” but also adding the forgiveness of debts, perhaps our
first bankruptcy laws. Deuteronomy focuses on holidays and insists that we remem-
ber our servants, the widows and orphans, and the strangers in our midst at festival
time.
Isaiah and Ezekial clearly state that giving charity is required of the pious Jew.
The book of Esther makes gift giving to the poor an integral part of the new festival,
Purim (a practice, by the way, that evolved into our modern custom of Hannuka gift
giving). Indeed, the theme of giving appears in many books of the Bible. Later, in
the commentaries, the rabbis added in minute detail who is obligated to give, howl
much and in what manner, and who is eligible to receive.
Those rules were for a society that was agricultural and for times that were far
simpler than today’s. Yet the genius of Scripture and the early rabbis is that their in-
struction is just as relevant — and applicable — to the complexity of today’s needs.
We can’t opt out, not if we are Jews.
Both as a Federation executive and as a Jew, I live with the mandate of Tzedakah
intensely and daily. I constantly see the pushes and the pulls — the personal, com-
munal and societal needs alongside the personal and communal struggles to meet
those needs. I help guide decisions and I watch others struggle with them. 5 struggle
too. And 1 have some thoughts about what we must do.
We start by how we frame the questions.
Our defining question should be “how?”, not “which?” Our meeting agendas
must creatively and intelligently address the matching of solutions to problems. As
we work with finite resources in difficult times, it is too easy to use the business buz-
zwords of the day — priorities, rank, choices. In the business of Tzedakah, Jews
have no choice. Genuine needs must be met, not pitted against each other.
At the same time, we recognize that not all needs are met in the same way.
Sometimes the gift is as direct as a food basket — or one family member aiding
another. Sometimes it is Jewish Family Service helping w ith a job search or language
skills. Sometimes it is simply a referral; other times it requires total community
mobilization.
Nor are we allowed to ask “who,” — rather, only what is the need. The rabbis
understood the concept of family first when they taught that “the poor of your own
household have priority ... .” (Mishneh Torah: 7:13). But never did they allow us to
confine our charity solely to our own needy. “One must feed and clothe the heathen
poor together with the Israelite poor, for the sake of peace” (Mishneh Torah: 7:7)
was just as important a part of their teaching. Feeding hungry Dallasites through the
North Dallas Shared Ministries, caring for homeless families’ children at the Vogel
Alcove — all become part of Jewish obligation, whether members of our own
Jewish family are direct recipients or not.
Moreover, since Tzedakah translates as righteousness, it extends beyond just fill-
ing material needs. We are equally obligated to speak out on matters of community
justice. Not just anti-Semitism and Israel, but racism, homelessness, public health
policy, equal educational opportunities, sexual harassment, political representation
systems, etc., etc. are all our issues under the commandment of Tzedakah. The ques-
tion is not “Is it good for the Jews?” The question is, does it fall under Micah’s ad-
monition to do justice and love mercy?
Even as Tzedakah is a cornerstone mitzvah of Judaism, we are taught to honor all
who are involved. Those who receive the community’s largess are no different from
those who contribute, and so we honor their dignity as we honor that of the largest
donor. No one, from the richest to the poorest, is exempt from giving according to
their means, so all donors are honored for fulfilling the commandment.
And last, let us remember to honor the person who solicits in the name of
Tzedakah. That person truly takes on God’s work. Those who call on us to con-
tribute do not supplicate; they give us the opportunity to fulfill a cornerstone mit-
zvah of Judaism. They remind us and help us do that which the Lord commands. As
individuals and as a community, they help us to be good Jews.
Just Say I Saw It In The
Texas Jewish Post
WASHINGTON WATCH
Bv James David Besser
TJP Washington Correspondent
Tough Negotiations
on Loan Guarantees
Last week, Israel’s dele-
gation to the Middle East
peace talks marked time,
waiting for various Arab
delegations to end their
protest over the expulsion
of twelve Palestinians.
But the Israelis were far
from idle.
In a number of
meetings, members of the
delegation sent an urgent
message to American Jew-
ish organizations: fight
for the $10 billion in loan
guarantees that Israel has
requested, but the ad-
ministration has resisted.
But Jewish activists are
determined to avert a con-
frontation over the loan
guarantees — a confronta-
tion that they worry would
add to the strains along
the Washington-
Jerusalem axis and
jeopardize Israel’s basic
foreign aid allotment.
Jewish leaders are
strongly urging the Israeli
government to go directly
to the administration and
negotiate a compromise
that would prevent the
kind of nasty public battle
that characterized last
fall’s first round in the
loan guarantee battle.
Last week, there were
some indications that the
Israelis were taking that
advice to heart.
A loan guarantee com-
promise was the topic of a
preliminary meeting be-
tween Israeli ambassador
Zalman Shoval and State
Department policy plan-
ning chief Dennis Ross.
“The fact that they’re
finally talking about it
directly, government to
government, is a good
sign,” said a leading
Jewish activist here. “But
it’s still not clear just how
serious the Israelis are
about pounding out a real
compromise.”
Many pro-lsrael activists
here expect that the best
Israel can hope for is an
agreement that will in-
clude a year’s worth of
guarantees, along with
some kind of formula that
would reduce the dollar
amount according to how
much Israel spends on new
settlements.
Israel has already writ-
ten the first year’s worth
of guarantees — $2 billion
— into its budget. But in
Washington, there is more
and more talk of a $1
billion figure, or even
$400 million.
Jewish Feminists Stand
Up for Israel
Hanan Ashrawi, the ar-
ticulate spokesperson for
the Palestinian delegation
to the Middle East peace
■ Hanan Ashrawi
talks in Washington, con-
tinues to dazzle the media
with her verbal barrages
against the Israeli govern-
ment.
But at an international
gathering of feminists on
Friday, the outspoken
Ashrawi was outgunned by
a leading Israeli feminist
and peace activist.
In one of the most emo-
tional moments of the 25th
anniversary conference oi
the National Organization
for Women, Alice Shalvi,
leader of the Israeli
Women’s Network, was
called on by American
Jewish women to answer
Ashrawi’s rhetorical at-
tack.
What happened was that
Ashrawi, in town for the
on-again-off-again peace
conference, was asked to
participate in a panel on
the role of women in
global affairs.
A number of the Jewish
feminists feared that the
result would be a highly
unbalanced criticism of
Israeli policies.
They appealed to NOW
president Patricia Ireland
to allow Shalvi, who is
known both for her vocal
criticisms of the Israeli
government and her
lifelong commitment to
Zionism, to respond.
“She engineered things
so she was the final
speaker,” Shalvi said in an
interview. “What resulted
was a venomous attack on
Israel sandwiched between
feminist content; she
manipulated the truth in
such a way that what
emerged was a tremendous
vilification of Israel.”
Originally, Shalvi had
been scheduled to respond
on Sunday.
see WASH. WATCH page 21
Texas Jewish Post
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Wisch, J. A. & Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 16, 1992, newspaper, January 16, 1992; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth753712/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .