Leave them for the poor and alien
The book of Leviticus states,
“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:10.
The Bible has 2000 verses dealing with the poor. Here in the book of Leviticus God tells the farmer not to go over his field a second time. Rather leave that which is unpicked for the poor and alien.
The Jews at the time of the writing of Leviticus were living in an agricultural society. Thus leaving the leftovers from the harvest was practical.
In our society today such a thing for the most part is impractical. Not everyone has a farm. There is however something we can do. It was something I picked up when my wife and I started attending our new Church.
The small church worked with the homeless. Doing what they can to help the poor within our city. One of the thing was very practical.
We have a number of homeless that stand at traffic lights and other locations around town and ask for money. What people do is when they have loose change from going through a drive through or whatever they keep it hand and give it to the person asking for money. Some give gift cards. Others even give them a meal.
It’s not much a few dollars hear and there but I’ve found it is welcome.
In Jewish culture there is a concept called
The following is as good an explanation of Tzedakah. It comes from a Jewish website,
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However 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 the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form 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 and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
Giving to the poor is an obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are themselves in need. Some sages have said that tzedakah is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a person who does not perform tzedaka is equivalent to an idol worshipper. This is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance to tzedakah in Jewish thought....
According to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor. This generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes. 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 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 both to Jews and gentiles...
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:
As Christians the above is something we should consider. It is perfectly in line with Christian belief.
Please Think about it.
The book of Leviticus states,
“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:10.
The Bible has 2000 verses dealing with the poor. Here in the book of Leviticus God tells the farmer not to go over his field a second time. Rather leave that which is unpicked for the poor and alien.
The Jews at the time of the writing of Leviticus were living in an agricultural society. Thus leaving the leftovers from the harvest was practical.
In our society today such a thing for the most part is impractical. Not everyone has a farm. There is however something we can do. It was something I picked up when my wife and I started attending our new Church.
The small church worked with the homeless. Doing what they can to help the poor within our city. One of the thing was very practical.
We have a number of homeless that stand at traffic lights and other locations around town and ask for money. What people do is when they have loose change from going through a drive through or whatever they keep it hand and give it to the person asking for money. Some give gift cards. Others even give them a meal.
It’s not much a few dollars hear and there but I’ve found it is welcome.
In Jewish culture there is a concept called
The following is as good an explanation of Tzedakah. It comes from a Jewish website,
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However 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 the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form 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 and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
Giving to the poor is an obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are themselves in need. Some sages have said that tzedakah is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a person who does not perform tzedaka is equivalent to an idol worshipper. This is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance to tzedakah in Jewish thought....
According to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor. This generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes. 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 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 both to Jews and gentiles...
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 than you should, bu giving cheerfully,
Giving after being asked
Giving before being asked
Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows yours
Giving when you know and the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know yours.
Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.
Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant.
As Christians the above is something we should consider. It is perfectly in line with Christian belief.
Please Think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment