Proverbs, Chapter
8, Verse 13
[The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil;] Pride,
arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.
If only wisdom would
visit congress the center of pride, arrogance, the evil way and the perverse
mouth. Pray for our country. St. Jude is the patron Saint of the impossible.
WASHINGTON—In
a letter today addressed to all members of Congress, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of
Venice, Florida, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice
and Human Development, called for legislators to consider bedrock moral
principles as they approach tax reform. "The U.S. bishops have long
emphasized that '[t]he tax system should be continually evaluated in terms of
its impact on the poor,'" Bishop Dewane wrote. Quoting Pope Francis
concerning the family, Bishop Dewane stressed that "[t]hose services which
society offers its citizens are not a type of alms, but rather a genuine
'social debt' with respect to the institution of the family, which is
foundational and which contributes to the common good." As Congress
formulates proposals for tax reform based on the "Unified Framework for
Fixing Our Broken Tax Code," Bishop Dewane's letter articulated six moral
principles that should guide lawmakers' decisions:
- Care for the poor;
- Strengthening families;
- Maintaining progressivity of
the tax code;
- Raising adequate revenue for
the common good;
- Avoiding cuts to poverty
programs to finance tax reform; and
- Incentivizing charitable giving
and development.
Bishop
Dewane called on legislators to remember the poor and the common good when
considering taxes, writing that "you are urged to recognize the critical
obligation of creating a just framework aimed at the economic security of all
people, especially the least of these."
Traditional Jews give at least
ten percent of their income to charity.
·
Traditional
Jewish homes commonly have a pushke, a box for collecting coins for the poor,
and coins are routinely placed in the box. Jewish youths are continually going
from door to door collecting for various worthy causes.
·
A
standard mourner's prayer includes a statement that the mourner will make a
donation to charity in memory of the deceased.
·
In
many ways, charitable donation has taken the place of animal sacrifice in
Jewish life: giving to charity is an almost instinctive Jewish response to
express thanks to G-d, to ask forgiveness from G-d, or to request a favor from
G-d.
·
According
to Jewish tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great
that a beggar actually does the giver a favor by giving a person the
opportunity to perform tzedakah.
The Meaning of the Word
"Tzedakah"
"Tzedakah" is the
Hebrew word for the acts that we call "charity" in English: giving
aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes.
·
The
nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word
"charity" suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by
the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy.
·
The
word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof,
meaning righteousness, justice or fairness.
·
In
Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is
simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving
the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
·
Tzedakah
is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a
person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper.
·
This
is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance of tzedakah in Jewish
thought.
·
Tzedakah
is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins.
·
The
High Holiday liturgy repeatedly states that G-d has inscribed a judgment
against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), tefilah (prayer) and
tzedakah can alleviate the decree. See Days of Awe.
·
According
to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor.
·
This
is generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes.
·
Taxes
themselves do not fulfill our obligation to give tzedakah, even though a
significant portion of tax revenues in America and many other countries are
used to provide for the poor and needy.
·
Those
who are dependent on public assistance or living on the edge of subsistence may
give less, but must still give to the
extent they are able; however, no person should give so much that he would
become a public burden.
·
The
obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to
health care institutions, to synagogues or to educational institutions.
·
It
can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are
legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age.
·
The
obligation includes giving to both Jews and gentiles; contrary to popular
belief, Jews do not just "take care of our own." Quite the contrary,
a study reported in the Jewish
Journal indicated that Jewish "mega-donors" (who give more than
$10 million a year to charity) found that only 6% of their mega-dollars went to
specifically Jewish causes.
·
Judaism
acknowledges that many people who ask for charity have no genuine need. In
fact, the Talmud suggests that this is a good thing: if all people who asked
for charity were in genuine need, we would be subject to punishment (from G-d)
for refusing anyone who asked.
·
The
existence of frauds diminishes our liability for failing to give to all who
ask, because we have some legitimate basis for doubting the beggar's sincerity.
·
It
is permissible to investigate the legitimacy of a charity before donating to
it.
·
We
have an obligation to avoid becoming in need of tzedakah.
·
A
person should take any work that is
available, even if he thinks it is beneath his dignity, to avoid becoming a
public charge.
·
However,
if a person is truly in need and has no way to obtain money on his own he
should not feel embarrassed to accept tzedakah.
·
No
person should feel too proud to take money from others.
·
It
is considered a transgression to refuse tzedakah. One source says that to make
yourself suffer by refusing to accept tzedakah is equivalent to shedding your
own blood.
Levels of Tzedakah
Certain kinds of
tzedakah are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these
different levels of tzedakah, and Rambam organized them into a
list. The levels of charity, from the least meritorious to the most
meritorious, are: - Giving
begrudgingly
- Giving
less that 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
Fitness
Friday-Hamstrings
Recognizing that God the Father created man on Friday the 6th day
I propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and
renew yourself in strength; mind, soul and heart.
Daily
Devotions
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