Caring
How do you understand the obligation to care for the needy?
David Arnow
Jewish
The Jewish commitment to provide care for the needy reflects the connection between tzedakah, often translated as “charity,” andtzedek— “justice” or “righteousness.”* Rooted in the concept of justice, the requirement to give tzedakah has nothing to do with how you may or may not feel about the recipient. Maimonides said that “the obligation of tzedakah requires more scrupulousness than any other positive commandment because it is the sign of righteousness, as God says of Abraham, ‘For I have singled him out that he may instruct his children . . . to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness, tzedakah . . .’” (Genesis 18:19).*
Mary C. Boys
Christian
Care for the needy, a fundamental dimension of our humanity, lies at the heart of religious traditions. In the Old Testament the abstraction “needy” is made concrete in the command to care for the widow and the orphan (e.g., Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18 and 24:17). In the New Testament, James urges his readers to be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers…. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress…” (Letter of James 1:22a and 27a).
In the parable of the so-called “Good” Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37), Jesus tells a story of reversal. Many of Jesus’ hearers did not think of Samaritans—an aberrant Jewish group with their own temple, priesthood, calendar and edition of the Torah—as “good.” Rather, they would have expected that the “good” folks—the priest and Levite—would have responded to the wounded man. Amazingly, it was not they but the despised Samaritan who showed compassion. Real religiosity is manifest in care for the needy.
Muhammad Shafiq
Muslim
Zakat , helping the poor and needy, is one of the pillars of Islam. In the Qur’an, Salat – daily worship – and Zakat are often mentioned together, making it clear that in Islam, assisting the poor and needy is as essential as worshiping God. In addition to Zakat, the Qur’an emphasizes giving Sadaqah, or charity. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instituted Zakat al Fitr ( charity given at the end of Ramadan fasting) that required the rich to help the poor in the neighborhood celebrate Eid al Fitr, the festivity at the end of Ramadan fasting.* The head of the household is responsible for paying the equivalent of $10 in U.S. currency on behalf of each member of his/her family. Further, the Qur’an asks those who cannot fast because of old age or sickness to feed one poor person for everyday he/she could not fast during Ramadan (2:184).
When the Prophet was asked: “What [sort of] deeds does Islam consider good?” he replied, “To feed [the poor] and greet those whom you know and those whom you don’t know.”*
Note: Translation of the Qur’anic verses and many of the Hadith translation with references were taken from Islamicity.com; some translations of and references to the Hadith were taken from ahadith.co.uk.
How do you view the relationship between physical and spiritual needs?
David Arnow
Jewish
David has responded to questions 2-4 together. So his response is repeated for these questions.
Tzedakah rejects the notion that the body’s well-being is less important than that of the soul or spirit. A medieval midrash put it this way: “There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty. All sufferings are on one side, and poverty is on the other.”* That may explain why the Haggadah first offers an invitation to “those who hungry” and only then invites those in need of celebrating the festival. The prophets repeatedly inveighed against those who worried about ritual, but ignored caring for the needy. On Yom Kippur, a day when Jews fast — and “afflict” our souls, as the Bible says — we read the words of Isaiah:
“Is such the fast I desire, a day for people to starve their bodies? No, this is the fast I desire: . . . to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him and not to ignore your own kin” (Isaiah 58:5-7).
Maimonides (1135-1204) described eight levels of tzedakah, the lowest ranging from giving reluctantly, to giving when asked, to knowing the recipient, to giving anonymously, etc. The highest level involves providing an individual with a gift, a loan, a position in a partnership or helping an individual find employment so he or she will become independent. For scriptural proof of this last point he brought a verse from Leviticus (25:35): You shall strengthen him, be he a stranger or a settler, he shall live with you. “Which means,” said Maimonides, “strengthen him in such a manner that prevents him from falling into want.”* An authoritative 16th century code sets forth the norms of giving: Ideally 20 percent of one’s wealth with 10 percent being average and less being stingy.*
Mary C. Boys
Christian
Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, illumines the inextricable link between physical and spiritual needs. To be a follower of Christ, Day believed, one must be committed to alleviate suffering, whether that be of hunger, violence, or loneliness. Her diaries record the breadth and depth of her commitments: profound prayerfulness, intense interactions with both the homeless and the famous, constant anxieties about funding for food and shelter for the Catholic Worker communities, advocacy for the Farm Workers in California and protests against U.S. involvements in war. In the face of so many needs, Day realized that the efforts of the Catholic Workers could not ameliorate the world’s ills. As she writes in June 1974: “We feel so powerless. We do so little, giving out soup. But at least we are facing problems daily. Hunger, homelessness, greed, loneliness. Greatest concern of the Bible is injustice, bloodshed. So we share what we have, we work for peace.”*
Or, to put it another ways, Peruvian theologian and priest Gustavo Gutierrez often reminded his hearers, “You read the Bible differently when you are hungry.”
Muhammad Shafiq
Muslim
The Qur’an treats human beings and their needs, whether spiritual, physical, social or economic, as interrelated. Just as in the human body, any deficiency in one organ affects the whole, so do unmet spiritual needs affect the entire being. Although some medieval Muslim philosophers endorsed the Greek idea of duality, which held that the world is composed of mind and matter, this notion is alien to the Qur’an. The Qur’an calls for attention to all areas of human need to bring positive changes in society.
However, when physical life is in danger, the Qur’an and the tradition of Prophet Muhammad hold that saving the life takes precedence. This is because without physical being, a person is unable to fulfill spiritual needs. The Qur’an says: “Because of this did We ordain unto the children of Israel that if anyone slays a human being — unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth – it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind” (5:32). The Prophet said, “If anyone of you is having his meals, he should not hurry up till he is satisfied even if the worship has been started.”*
Note: Translation of the Qur’anic verses and many of the Hadith translation with references were taken from Islamicity.com; some translations of and references to the Hadith were taken from ahadith.co.uk.
What is your tradition’s approach to charity (for Christians), zakat (for Muslims), or tzedakah (for Jews)?
David Arnow
Jewish
David has responded to questions 2-4 together. So his response is repeated for these questions.
Tzedakah rejects the notion that the body’s well-being is less important than that of the soul or spirit. A medieval midrash put it this way: “There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty. All sufferings are on one side, and poverty is on the other.”* That may explain why the Haggadah first offers an invitation to “those who hungry” and only then invites those in need of celebrating the festival. The prophets repeatedly inveighed against those who worried about ritual, but ignored caring for the needy. On Yom Kippur, a day when Jews fast — and “afflict” our souls, as the Bible says — we read the words of Isaiah:
“Is such the fast I desire, a day for people to starve their bodies? No, this is the fast I desire: . . . to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him and not to ignore your own kin” (Isaiah 58:5-7).
Maimonides (1135-1204) described eight levels of tzedakah, the lowest ranging from giving reluctantly, to giving when asked, to knowing the recipient, to giving anonymously, etc. The highest level involves providing an individual with a gift, a loan, a position in a partnership or helping an individual find employment so he or she will become independent. For scriptural proof of this last point he brought a verse from Leviticus (25:35): You shall strengthen him, be he a stranger or a settler, he shall live with you. “Which means,” said Maimonides, “strengthen him in such a manner that prevents him from falling into want.”* An authoritative 16th century code sets forth the norms of giving: Ideally 20 percent of one’s wealth with 10 percent being average and less being stingy.*
Mary C. Boys
Christian
Care for the needy rests on twin foundations: charity and justice. Charity is a response to a loving God, whom we are to love, Jesus says in echoing the Shema (see Deuteronomy 6:4-8), with “all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” While Jesus teaches that this is “the greatest and first commandment, he adds a second: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). If, however, we are to love God and neighbor, then we need to engage in the work of justice, fostering the common good of societies and of various communities within these societies so as to properly distribute benefits and burdens and enhance human rights. In 1971, the Catholic Bishops, meeting in a worldwide synod, expressed the inextricable connection between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work for justice: “Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.” (Justice in the World, Synod of Catholic Bishops, 1971).
Muhammad Shafiq
Muslim
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam and like worship or fasting is an obligation. Zakat is mentioned in the Qur’an almost as often as the Salat, or worship. Most of the time they are mentioned together. Islam asserts that meeting the needs of other human beings is as important as praying to God. The Qur’an says, “True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west – but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance, however much he himself may cherish it, upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues [Zakat]; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, who are conscious of G” (2:177). With regard to righteous people, the Qur’an says that they “[would assign] in all that they possessed a due share unto such as might ask [for help] and such as might suffer privation” (51:19).
Besides Zakat, the Qur’an encourages believers to give Sadaqah – charity. The Qur’an describes helping the needy as giving to a friendly loan to God: “Who is it that will offer up unto God a goodly loan, which He will amply repay, with manifold increase? For, God takes away, and He gives abundantly; and it is unto Him that you shall be brought back (2:245). Another verse says: “Verily, as for the men and women who accept the truth as true and who [thus] offer up unto God a goodly loan, they will be amply repaid, and shall have a noble reward [in the life to come]” (57:18).
The rewards for those who give in the interests of others are countless. The Qur’an states, “Those who spend their possessions for the sake of God is that of a grain out of which grow seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains: for God grants manifold increase unto whom He wills; and God is infinite, all-knowing” (2:261). The Qur’an prefers contributions made in secret so there is no showing off. It says: “If you do deeds of charity openly, it is well; but if you bestow it upon the needy in secret, it will be even better for you, and it will atone for some of your bad deeds. And God is aware of all that you do” (2:271). The Qur’an stresses upholding the pride of the needy when giving them financial aid: [They] “who spend their possessions for the sake of God and do not thereafter mar their spending by stressing their own benevolence and hurting [the feelings of the needy] shall have their reward with their Sustainer, and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve” (2:262). The Qur’an warns that spending to show off or to hurt the feelings of the needy after helping them will invalidate the donor’s reward. “O you who have attained to faith! Do not deprive your charitable deeds of all worth by stressing your own benevolence and hurting [the feelings of the needy], as does he who spends his wealth only to be seen and praised by men, and believes not in God and the Last Day: for he is like a smooth rock with [a little] earth upon it – and then a rainstorm smites it and leaves it hard and bare. Such as these shall have no gain whatever from all their [good] works: for God does not guide people who refuse to acknowledge the truth (2:264).
Note: Translation of the Qur’anic verses and many of the Hadith translation with references were taken from Islamicity.com; some translations of and references to the Hadith were taken from ahadith.co.uk.
How do you decide how much you should give?
David Arnow
Jewish
David has responded to questions 2-4 together. So his response is repeated for these questions.
Tzedakah rejects the notion that the body’s well-being is less important than that of the soul or spirit. A medieval midrash put it this way: “There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty. All sufferings are on one side, and poverty is on the other.”* That may explain why the Haggadah first offers an invitation to “those who hungry” and only then invites those in need of celebrating the festival. The prophets repeatedly inveighed against those who worried about ritual, but ignored caring for the needy. On Yom Kippur, a day when Jews fast — and “afflict” our souls, as the Bible says — we read the words of Isaiah:
“Is such the fast I desire, a day for people to starve their bodies? No, this is the fast I desire: . . . to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him and not to ignore your own kin” (Isaiah 58:5-7).
Maimonides (1135-1204) described eight levels of tzedakah, the lowest ranging from giving reluctantly, to giving when asked, to knowing the recipient, to giving anonymously, etc. The highest level involves providing an individual with a gift, a loan, a position in a partnership or helping an individual find employment so he or she will become independent. For scriptural proof of this last point he brought a verse from Leviticus (25:35): You shall strengthen him, be he a stranger or a settler, he shall live with you. “Which means,” said Maimonides, “strengthen him in such a manner that prevents him from falling into want.”* An authoritative 16th century code sets forth the norms of giving: Ideally 20 percent of one’s wealth with 10 percent being average and less being stingy.*
Mary C. Boys
Christian
Some persons and denominations suggest tithing, i.e., giving a tenth of one’s income. Most churches simply take up a collection rather than have set membership fees. The weekly collection covers regular needs (e.g., salaries, maintenance of the buildings and needs of the congregation) and support for various agencies and endeavors (e.g., needs of impoverished peoples).
The fundamental norm may be discerned from the letters of the Apostle Paul. Paul sought support for the poor, especially for the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, from his various churches (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Romans 15:25-27 and Galatians 2:1-10). He praised the Corinthians for their generosity, and reminded the Galatians that when the “pillars” of the early community—James, Cephas [Peter] and John affirmed Paul’s mission to the Gentiles, “They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10).
It is one of the great ironies—and heresies—of our time that many Christians have fallen under the spell of the “Prosperity Gospel”: Wealth is a blessing from God, God will bless Christians with financial gain, and those who give their money to church causes will in turn reap financial reward.
Muhammad Shafiq
Muslim
Zakat is two and a half percent of a person’s annual net income, defined as the total income minus expenses. For example, a person who has a yearly net income of $1,000 after personal and business expenses are subtracted shall give Zakat of $25 to the poor and needy.
Zakat can be given to the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the [funds]; for those whose hearts have been [recently] reconciled [to Truth]; for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah and for the wayfarer: [thus is it] ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom (9:60). However, money given to one’s parents or children is not regarded as Zakat, because providing for them is a basic responsibility. Zakatmay also be spent on general social needs such as building schools and clinics for the poor and supplying clean water. A donor may give Zakat directly to the needy or give it to a charitable agency to distribute according to the rules of Islamic Law.
Zakat Al Fitr is collected at the end of Ramadan every year and distributed to the poor before the celebration of Eid al Fitr, a Muslim festival at the close of Ramadan. It could be distributed by the local Masjid – mosque – or given directly to the poor and needy. The objective of this collection is to make it possible for everyone to celebrate the end of fasting with joy, food and a smile.
In keeping with the adage “charity begins at home,” Sadaqah can be given to any one and may start with parents and other loved ones. The Qur’an says: “True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west – but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance, however much he himself may cherish it, upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God” (2:17).
Sadaqah can be spent on any aspect of human well-being. It is best offered anonymously. Although the Qur’an recommends spending generously, there is no limit on such giving. There are many examples of great generosity in Islam. The Qur’an promises great rewards for those who make charitable donations.
Many Muslims who give Zakat do not claim tax deductions. Many who do claim deductions anonymously return that amount to charity. Zakat al Fitr is rarely claimed, while Sadaqah usually is.
Note: Translation of the Qur’anic verses and many of the Hadith translation with references were taken from Islamicity.com; some translations of and references to the Hadith were taken from ahadith.co.uk.