The English word is “charity,” with its air of optional kindness. The Hebrew word is tzedakah, from the same root as tzedek — justice. The difference matters. Tzedakah is not something extra we do when we feel generous. It is what is owed: the world was not given to us alone, and what we hold was never entirely ours.

How much to give

Classic Jewish law gives concrete guidance: most people should give around a tenth of their income; the generous give a fifth. The poor are not exempt — even the one who receives is encouraged to give something, because giving is part of being fully human. No one is only a receiver.

When and how

Tzedakah is welcome at any time, but certain moments sharpen it: before Shabbat and holidays, before prayer on Yom Kippur, at times of joy and mourning. Give promptly. Do not make the person in need wait while we consider.

The manner counts as much as the amount. Give with a pleasant face. Do not turn giving into an occasion for someone’s embarrassment. Where possible, give so the giver and receiver do not know each other — anonymity protects the dignity of the one who receives.

The eight levels

Maimonides listed eight degrees of giving, a ladder from least to greatest:

1. Giving reluctantly.
2. Giving less than one should, but with a good face.
3. Giving after being asked.
4. Giving before being asked.
5. Giving so the receiver does not know who gave.
6. Giving so the giver does not know who received.
7. Neither knowing the other — giving into a shared, trusted fund.
8. Helping a person become self-supporting, so they no longer need tzedakah at all.

That last rung is the highest, and the most demanding: not a handout, but a foothold.

What it does to the giver

We give because it is right. But there is a second truth: giving changes us. It loosens the grip on what we own, breaks the illusion that we are self-made, and reminds us that everything we have is, in part, a trust. Ten percent is not a tax. It is a correction of the eyes.