The Religious and Cultural Foundations of Charity in Judaism

While religious teachings are replete with obligations of charity – stemming mainly from the biblical obligation of maaser, or tithing – charity has become so ingrained in Judaism that it is both a cultural and a religious act. One reason for this is that charity, or sharing with the needy, is considered the most basic kind of mitzvah a person can do. There is no second-guessing an act of caring; regardless of your intentions or the size of your charity, if you share with a person in need, you have performed a mitzvah. Additionally, tzedakah, unlike most other mitzvot, is not time-sensitive; it can be done at any time.

“One Mitzvah Leads to Another” 

There is a popular Jewish teaching, “Mitzvah goreret mitzvah,” which originates in Masechet Avot and means “one mitzvah leads to another.” Culturally, Jews have always sought a starter mitzvah to begin a chain of good deeds, and because tzedakah was so flexible and achievable, it became the go-to starter mitzvah. Since time immemorial, women bringing in Shabbos began by giving charity, and men started their day by giving tzedakah before they prayed.

The Pushka

Hundreds of years before the internet or money wires, the concept of the “pushka” was born. The pushka, a locked canister traditionally mounted in Jewish homes and synagogues, was designed as an instant charity mechanism. People could put money in it at any time, and it was periodically collected by a designated neighborhood collector to give to the poor.

With the pushkas, Jews of all means, even the poor, became accustomed to giving charity daily, if not more than once a day. This resulted in a culture of daily giving and attention to tzedakah. Today, this tradition continues even in pre-school classes, where children start the day by putting coins in their classroom tzedakah box.

From Pushkas to Online Giving

When Jews moved out of the shtetl and into the cities, largely due to the Holocaust, the pushka became an item issued by charity organizations, and households began having multiple pushkas in their homes.

This has been made easier with modern technology, such as online donation pages where you can simply click “DONATE.” It’s instant, virtual, automatic, and doesn’t take up room in your house. Now, more than ever, we can perform an instant mitzvah.

Masbia: Modern Charity with Immediate Impact

Donations to Masbia, a non-profit charity organization, are immediate in a profoundly meaningful way. Every donation to Masbia is converted into food, and because Masbia is a grassroots organization, that food finds its way into a hungry person’s stomach in less than two weeks. So your mitzvah has even more immediacy.

Traditionally, a Jewish community throughout the diaspora could not be formed without a dedicated charity division. In most places, this meant a collection and distribution service of ready-to-eat food, i.e., a food pantry and/or a soup kitchen. Masbia strives to be the current-day version of that, serving daily hot meals and weekly emergency food packages to people in need from multiple locations in various Jewish communities.

Giving with Dignity: 

Jewish teaching specifies that charity should be done in a high-end manner, meaning that one should choose to give the best quality to those in need, be it food, clothing, or materials for a house of worship. Masbia’s mission is to live up to this by providing the hungry men, women, and children we serve with the best quality, nutritious, and kosher meals in a beautiful setting.

Significance of the Table

Jewish teaching also emphasizes the importance of the table in doing charity. The Talmud explains that the act of hosting guests is rewarded with longevity because it is the equivalent of bringing a sacrifice on the altar in the times of the Holy Temple. The Talmud specifies that it is a “person’s table that brings them atonement,” establishing the table itself as a vessel of forgiveness. When one sponsors food at Masbia, the tables the food is served on become your table from which you are sharing food, earning the full blessing of the Talmud. (See Masbia’s online store for hand crafted mezuzah cases made from repurposed Masbia tables.)

Ready-to-Eat Food: The Highest Form of Charity

The Talmud also makes it clear that providing ready-to-eat food is the highest form of charity because the satisfaction to the hungry person is immediate (mekarve ahaneise). At Masbia, our hot dinner program does exactly that – it feeds hungry men, women, and children hot, nutritious, ready-to-eat meals.

“Kiddush Hashem” — Masbia in the Media

Charitable giving is often a private act, with anonymity deeply valued. At Masbia, we honor this tradition by protecting the dignity and privacy of those we serve, while also allowing donors to fulfill an additional mitzvah—creating a Kiddush Hashem (a sanctification of God’s name). Through our visible impact, Masbia has brought pride to the community and earned widespread media recognition. Since our founding in 2005, Masbia has been featured in many leading American media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, People Magazine, New York Daily News, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, Pix11, NY1, and News12.  

Take Action: Sponsor a Meal Today

To sponsor food for the needy, click here to get to our donate page.

---