Tzedakah!
Tzedakah (pronounced se-da-kah) is the Hebrew word for charity or almsgiving. It describes giving aid and assistance (often, but not strictly, in the form of money), to those in need.

There is a long Jewish tradition of practicing tzedakah, which dates back to the time of Moses (1500 B.C.). In Leviticus 23:22 we read:

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God."

In the 2nd chapter of the book of Ruth we see Ruth (a Moabite widow– both poor and alien) meeting Boaz as she is gleaning at the edges of his field.


In Deuteronomy 10:17-19 it says:

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”

God’s heart is for the lowly, poor and marginalized. As such, He made it clear to Israel that care for the poor was to have high priority in their lifestyles. In Hebrew tradition, going back 3500 years to Moses, every member of the community was expected to give to the needy. This is still considered by practicing Jews today to be a “Mitzvah” or commandment from God. In Jewish culture, even the very poor who received tzedakah were expected to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Here’s an interesting thing about the word “tzedakah”: The word is derived from the Hebrew Tzade-Dalet-Qof, which means righteousness, justice or fairness. So the literal translation of the word tzedakah into English would be “righteousness” or “justice”. Tzedakah is more than just giving to the poor. It is an attitude of being righteous by seeking justice for those in need. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed so much as an act of generosity, but as an act of justice, righteousness and fairness. A Jew is also expected to practice good stewardship of their tzedakah by making sure it goes to legitimate needs and is not squandered.

The attitude and action of tzedakah is very important to God. Most of the Old Testament prophets who warned Israel and Judah of coming judgment pointed out not only their failure to keep covenant with God, but also their failure to practice tzedakah and instead allow oppression of the poor.


Listen to the words of Amos (2:6-7):

“This is what the LORD says: "’For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.’”


The entire 7th chapter of Zechariah deals with this also, particularly verses 8-12:

“And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

"But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.’”


The first chapter of Isaiah (verses 10-17) says this:

"The multitude of your sacrifices- what are they to me?" says the LORD . "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations- I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.

Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”


The fifth chapter of Isaiah compares Israel and Judah to a vineyard that only yields bad fruit. In verse 7, God summarizes by saying:

“The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.”

The word “righteousness” there in the last sentence is, in Hebrew, “tzedakah”.


These are just a few examples. The Old Testament books are filled with this type of language. Clearly, God expects that His people will practice tzedakah.


This language carries into the New Testament as well. In Matthew 6:1-2, Jesus says:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

Notice that Jesus defines giving to the needy as an “act of righteousness”. In the Hebrew language New Testament, the word used is “tzedakah”.

In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats. How does Jesus describe the blessed sheep who are invited into His kingdom?

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

James 2:14-17 speaks of faith and deeds (or works – ergon in Greek) and of how one’s faith is made evident by one’s deeds:

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Notice what the example is that James gives for a faith-demonstrating deed (of lack thereof). It’s feeding and sheltering a brother or sister in need. Sounds like tzedakah to me!

Paul gives this instruction to Timothy:

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Tim. 6:17-19)

In the time of Jesus, and to this very day, synagogues and homes of devout Jews will have a “tzedakah box” (also known as a "pushke") for depositing alms. It’s essentially a container with a slot in the top for dropping coins or bills and a door of some type for opening it up and getting the money out (sort of like a piggy bank). If you go on the Internet and do a search on “tzedakah box”, you’ll see that many merchants of Jewish goods sell them and that they come in a variety of styles; from simple boxes to ornate and whimsical sculptures.

It’s pretty typical nowadays for Jews to give 10% of their income for tzedakah. This sounds a lot like tithing, but it isn’t. To the Old Testament Jews, tithes were separate from tzedakah. Let’s clarify this by looking at tithing for a moment.

The Old Testament Jews actually paid three tithes:

10% each year was given to support the Levites, because they had no inheritance (land). This was known as the First Tithe or Levite Tithe. (See Numbers 18:21-24)

10% each year was given at the temple in relation to the seven yearly festivals and associated sacrifices. This was known as the Second Tithe or Festival Tithe. Interestingly, Deuteronomy 12:4-7 and 14:22-27 give instructions that the Israelites are to bring this tithe to Jerusalem and eat it together in the presence of the Lord. Alternately, they could sell their produce, bring the money to Jerusalem and use it to buy whatever food they wanted (including “fermented drink”!) and consume it in the presence of the Lord.

There was a Third Tithe, which is sometimes called the Poor Tithe. It was to be given every third year to the widows, orphans and others in need. This tithe was distributed locally in the towns and villages, not taken to the temple in Jerusalem. Historians and commentators are divided on whether this tithe was paid instead of the Second (Festival) Tithe or in addition to it. If it was in addition to the Festival Tithe, then 10% was given every three years (or 3.3% per year) for the poor. (See Deut. 14:28-29)

In the Jewish apocryphal Book of Tobit, which was probably written in the 2nd century B.C., Tobit says, “I, for my part, would often make the pilgrimage alone to Jerusalem for the festivals, as is prescribed for all Israel by perpetual decree. Bringing with me the first fruits of the field and the firstlings of the flock, together with a tenth of my income and the first shearings of the sheep, I would hasten to Jerusalem and present them to the priests, Aaron's sons, at the altar. To the Levites who were doing service in Jerusalem I would give the tithe of grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and other fruits. And except for sabbatical years, I used to give a second tithe in money, which each year I would go and disburse in Jerusalem. The third tithe I gave to orphans and widows, and to converts who were living with the Israelites. (Tobit 1:6-8)

The 1st century Jewish historian Josephus explained it this way: “Besides those two tithes, which I have already said you are to pay every year, the one for the Levites, the other for the festivals, you are to bring every third year a third tithe to be distributed to those that want; to women also that are widows, and to children that are orphans.”

This meant that the Israelites gave either 20% or 23.3% each year in tithes. By the way, these tithes were in the form of agricultural produce (grain, fruit and livestock). This is why the temple had storehouses and pastureland. In some cases, as we’ve seen, these agricultural tithes could be converted to money, for example to make it easier to transport. Since the Levite and Festival tithes were to be presented at the temple, it appears that Jews living outside of Israel (and thus too far to travel to the temple) were exempt from them. Additionally, hired laborers, fishermen, miners, lumber workers, construction workers, soldiers, weavers, potters, manufacturers, merchants, government workers, and priests were not required to tithe.

Since Israel was a theocracy (at least until king Saul came along), the tithes were essentially a form of income tax (although, once Israel had kings, taxes were levied in addition to tithes). Payment of tithes was required by national law. Tithes were paid to, and administered by, the Levites (except the Poor Tithe). It was unlawful for anyone outside of the tribe of Levi to receive the tithe, even if they were prophets or kings (this means, by the way, that neither Jesus, Peter or Paul could have received tithes, since they were not of the tribe of Levi). The temple priesthood, by the way, also earned money through the sale of sacrificial items such as incense, the sale of meat (left over from the sacrifices) and through a temple tax (see Matt. 17:24).

Another important point about the tithes is that they were based on one’s increase. Let’s say, for example, that you were an Israelite and owned 1,000 sheep. If each year you tithed just 10% of your sheep, you would run out of sheep in ten years (which means you’d be destitute and have to begin receiving Poor Tithes and alms!). If you tithed 23.3% of your flock each year, you’d be sheepless in less than 5 years. God did not intend for obedient Israelites to go broke. Thus, the tithe was to be taken from one’s increase. In other words, if you had 1,000 sheep and the next year your flock grew to 1200 sheep, you would tithe from that increase of 200 and give 20 sheep at 10%, or 40 sheep at 20%, or 46.6 sheep at 23.3% (I feel sorry for that .6 sheep!).

This is consistent with the tithe that Abraham gave to Melchizedek in Genesis 14; it was a tenth of the spoils of battle that Abraham had just gotten from defeating Kedarlaomer and the other naughty kings who had kidnapped Lot. This tithe predates the three tithes given in the Mosaic Law. Tithing of this type (a tribute paid to a king) was a common practice in the ancient Near East.

The three tithes given by Israelites were not used for building projects. Tithes did not pay for the building of Moses’ tabernacle. It was funded by free-will contributions (Exodus 25:1-9). Solomon’s temple appears to have been funded via taxes and tributes. The post-exile temple was funded by free-will offerings.

In addition to paying tithes, Israelites also paid whatever taxes were demanded by their ruler at the time. Along with tithes and taxes, there were also laws against charging interest on loans (Exod. 22:25-27, Lev. 25:35-37), debts were to be cancelled every seven years (Deut. 15), slaves were to be freed and lands returned to their ancestral owners every 50th year (Jubilee - Lev. 25:8-10) and lastly, alms (tzedakah) were to be given.

Nowadays, we don’t have a physical temple or Levites or sacrifices or holy festivals. We are now all priests as well as living stones in a spiritual temple where God’s presence resides (1 Pet. 2:5 & 2:9). Old Testament tithes are no longer relevant. There is no temple to bring our tithes into and no Levite to receive them. Additionally, we who are Gentiles or who live outside of Israel or are not farmers would be exempt anyway. The entire system and covenant that the tithes were a part of was fulfilled in Christ 2,000 years ago.

So what remains?

The poor. “The poor you will always have with you…” (Mark 14:7).

This is where Jesus’ heart was. He inaugurated His messianic ministry by quoting Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”

In Mark 10:21, Jesus challenges the rich young man to perform radical tzedakah: “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Tzedakah is the type of giving that we see in the New Testament church. This is the giving that we see in the Book of Acts:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:44-45)

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)

This is tzedakah giving. It was a core value of the New Testament church. We know from the scriptures and from history that the early Christians still kept personal property (for example, individuals owned houses where churches met), but they were also committed to practicing extreme tzedakah. Tzedakah is showing our faith and righteousness (both gifts from God) by seeking justice through giving. This is what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 when he wrote:

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

It seems that the giving in the New Testament church was directed towards helping the needy within the church, helping struggling churches in other cities (such as the Corinthians collecting funds to send to the Jerusalem church, which was experiencing poverty and oppression) and sometimes supporting missionaries (such as the Philippians supporting Paul while he was under house-arrest in Rome). Offerings were not used to pay for buildings or minister’s salaries. Paul was adamant about working with his own hands and not taking money from those he was ministering to (1 Cor. 9, 2 Cor. 6, 2 Cor. 11, 2 Thess. 3). Paul used the money he earned from making tents to meet his own needs and those of his companions.

The giving that we see in the New Testament seems quite different from the method of giving that is typically taught in churches today (and referred to as “tithing”). In fact, the practice of tithing that is taught in Evangelical churches today bears no resemblance to how the early church gave or to the tithing of the Old Testament Israelites. So where did this practice come from? According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia (vol. XIV, pp. 174-175):

"The early Church had no tithing system. The tithes of the Old Testament were regarded as abrogated [abolished] by the law of Christ.... But as the Church expanded and its material needs grew more numerous and complex, it became necessary to adopt a definite rule to which people could be held either by a sense of moral obligation or by a precept of positive law. The tithing of the Old Law provided an obvious model, and it began to be taught.... The Council of Macon in 585 ordered payment of tithes and threatened excommunication to those who refused to comply."

So our modern tithing practices are actually a tradition instituted by the Catholic church in the 6th century.

The standard procedure today is to drop your 10% (of gross or net, depending on your faith) in the bag, plate, box or bucket and then leave it up to the church leadership to decide how to use it. In a typical Evangelical church, 85% of the money collected is used to pay for the building and pastoral salaries. The other 15% is divvied up for donuts, coffee, office supplies, advertising and, oh yeah, benevolence.

Is this good stewardship? Does it reflect our Lord’s values?

I was once in a leadership meeting at a small church that had just spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000.00 in the preceding three months on sound equipment, office space and furniture. Giving had suddenly dropped and there was concern about being able to meet the pastor’s salary and pay rent on the building. The discussion in the leadership meeting centered around trying to identify the cause of the sudden drop in giving. The assumption was that it was spiritual warfare. I piped up and asked this question: “In the last three months we’ve spent $20,000.00 on all this stuff, while some members of our congregation have lost jobs, are facing foreclosure on their homes, etc.; How much money in the last three months have we given to the poor?” The bookkeeper answered: “None.” Not long after, the church closed down.

Malachi 3 is the scripture most often used to support the modern tithing practice. As such, it is probably the most abused and misused text in the entire bible. The portion of Malachi 3 that is usually quoted in support of modern-day tithing is verses 8 through 10:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

However, if we read this text in the context of the texts surrounding it, we pick up some interesting details. Earlier in Malachi 3 (verse 3) God says He will purify the Levites so that “Then the Lord will have men who will bring their offerings in righteousness.” You guessed it, the Hebrew word translated as “righteousness” is “tzedakah”.

Further in Malachi 3 (verse 5), God explains who He is judging: “’I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

God was angry at the Jews for not practicing tzedakah; for not taking care of the poor and for not caring about injustices.

If you really wanted to bring yourself into literal obedience to Malachi 3, here’s what you would need to do:

1. Move to Israel and buy a farm.
2. Find some Levites to support.
3. Begin observing the Old Testament festivals (including animal sacrifices).
4. Bring 20% of the increase of your crops and herds to the temple in Jerusalem (a real challenge since the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed 2000 years ago!)

If you successfully complete steps 1 through 4, you might then be able to expect God to bless or curse you depending on your response to Malachi’s prophecy (that is, assuming that this word of correction wasn’t specifically meant for those Israelites in that place at that time).

On the other hand, you can obey Malachi 3 in spirit by practicing tzedakah. This is God’s heart: That you give generously and responsibly to the needy in your midst and seek justice on their behalf. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

Jesus had an expectation that His church would exceed the devout (but legalistic) Pharisees in their tzedakah (see Matt. 5:20 – the word “righteousness” there is “dikaiosune” in Greek or, in the Hebrew translation, “tzedakah”). The New Testament exhorts us to excel in our tzedakah and provides us with historical accounts of the early church doing just that. We know from history that within a very short period of time, the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus had told His disciples that they would be known by their love for one another (John 13:35). Historical accounts from the first few centuries tell us that the people of the Roman Empire were amazed at the unselfishness and hospitality of the early Christians. Even those who persecuted the church wrote about the generosity and righteousness of those who followed Christ.

The Institutional Church in the U.S. and Europe is slipping further and further from the central position it once held in culture towards the margins of irrelevancy. Perhaps, in this post-modern age, we can best affect our culture if we quit trying to build temples (or crystal cathedrals) and ministries and instead build one another up; the true temple of God. What can we do to practice righteousness by seeking justice for the poor, oppressed and marginalized? How can we bring our giving into line with God’s heart for the needy? How can we practice tzedakah?







- posted by Daniel P. (Danny) Coleman @ 12:16 PM