Pillow Book of Talmud Wisdom

Chapter 23 Giving a Tenth of Income—Jews on Consecration (1)
The Jewish nation is a benevolent nation, which is recognized by the world. They always implement helping others is helping themselves in every corner of their life and work.

As the "Talmud" says: If a rich man refuses to give his wealth as alms, wealth will not bring him glory.

Giving is a responsibility

Whether the Jews can be counted as the most generous people in the world is beyond doubt.But the Jewish nation is a benevolent nation, which is recognized by the world.It’s not that the Jews talked a lot about charity. On the contrary, there is no word for “charity” in Hebrew, and there is only one word that expresses a similar meaning, “tzedaka”, which translates to “righteousness”.In other words, when a person gives alms, he is definitely not "doing good deeds" or doing "extraordinary" good deeds, but purely performing "public obligations".As a diaspora nation, the Jews have to use some mechanism to eliminate the internal stress caused by the gap between the rich and the poor; as a nation that is often driven around, the Jews have to take care of each other; as a sensitive nation by nature, the Jews are familiar with The psychological subtlety of both parties in the process of giving alms; as a scheming nation, the Jews know that charity is never simply almsgiving.It is precisely because of their ordinary mentality that the Jews arrange charity more rationally than all other nations.

Jewish philanthropy has a long history, perhaps the oldest of which are the tithes and the Sabbath or Jubilee.Tithes evolved from tithes of the ancient world.The origin of tithes is generally thought to have arisen in Egypt, initially as a way of feeding political and religious hierarchies with tribute.In the wars among ancient nations, tithes were also a right of the conqueror to the conquered.Early Hebrew tribes probably received tithes in the latter way or in the form of tribute paid by the sojourner to his master.The ancestor Abraham once gave 1/10 of his harvest to the king of Salem, Melchizedek, which is said to be compensation for the polluted water source.Later, the "Bible" stipulated that the Israelites must give 1/10 of their income to the priests, the Levites, as a sacrifice to God, and stipulated which part of it could be enjoyed by the priests and which part should be shared or burned by the tribe. Jehovah.

After the kingdom was established, tithes also became part of the royal family's income.Of course, most of the king's appetite is greater than the god's appetite. Solomon can be called "excessive taxation", and this 1/10 will definitely not satisfy him.Later, the "Talmud" also recognized the role of tithes and imposed various restrictions on the use of this money.With the destruction of the Second Temple, there was no kingship, no temple sacrifices, no priestly class, and the rabbis, who were spiritual leaders, lived by other material means of their own until the 15th century.Therefore, the original somewhat compulsory tithe has become a completely self-determined donation. In terms of quantity, people are still more accustomed to a ratio of at least 1/10.Therefore, we might as well call it a tithe to distinguish it from the taxes of other nations.Fortunately, in Hebrew, what refers to this 1/10 thing is originally a word "Maaser" derived from "ten".The Jews have clear rules about donating tithes.

In principle, everyone must donate 1/10 to the poor, "otherwise, his prayers will not reach heaven."Even poor people who are recipients of charity must donate 1/10.However, if giving a tithe means depriving a family of the basic means of subsistence, or if a parentless girl would not be able to marry, it would be exempted.Among the Jews it was as much at the discretion of the individual as to be a Jew or not to pay a tithe.However, how the donation is used does not depend entirely on the donor, and the donor is only allowed to decide within a certain range what purpose to use all or part of it for.

According to regulations, tithes cannot be used for children's education, matchmakers, rabbis or other religious personnel, nor can they be used to build synagogues (special donations can be used to raise funds). "Charity first reaches relatives and friends" is okay, but those who spend their time studying the Jewish scriptures have priority.

In addition to tithes, the early Hebrews had another institutional arrangement, the Sabbath or Jubilee.In the Sabbath year, whatever grows on the ground, no matter how much it is, belongs to the poor and servants, and the owner of the land shall not interfere.After seven Sabbatical years, the year comes, which the Jews call "the Jubilee Year."In this year, in addition to the same fallow and everyone eating the land that grew by themselves, the debts owed by the Israelites to each other were also canceled. The land sold before was naturally returned, and those who were sold as slaves were freed on their own. The master's family has to hold another ceremony: put your head on the door frame, let the master wear a hole in the earlobe, and then you can be a slave for life. In the "Bible", God also took special care that the rich should not "look poorly at the poor" when the Jubilee is approaching.

The Jubilee has become a year for the Jews to remove the old and bring out the new, and everyone has a new beginning, and it has also become a year for the Jewish society to eliminate internal pressure.For all these arrangements, the Jews generally regard them as an obligation of individuals, especially the rich, and a moral order with theological color.Fundamentally speaking, Jewish charity does not depend on the attitude of the recipient. Even if you hate him, in order to fulfill your obligations, you must donate to the unfortunate.This is the essence of "charity is justice".Undoubtedly, this itself is also a purely theoretical or idealized statement.This set of charitable arrangements of the Jews based on their unique values ​​and mentality has played a huge role in the displacement of their nation for more than 2000 years.It can be said that the Jewish nation has survived to this day by fulfilling this unconditional "public obligation" to each other.

In history, no matter where there is a complete Jewish community and its own synagogue, there must be a relief worker called a "curator" by the Jews to meet the general needs of the Jews.As for special needs, they are addressed by auxiliary associations.In the era when piracy was prevalent, some Jewish communities also prepared special funds for the redemption of captives.It is no exaggeration to say that in some large Jewish communities, such as those in London, England, or New York, the largest and most numerous institutions may be those engaged in charitable relief and fundraising.They not only ensure the needs of community members, but also provide vital support and assistance when other communities are in distress or face mass immigration.Not to mention historical events, even the country of the Jews themselves has gained a firm foothold and developed rapidly with the joint funding of Jews abroad.

From 1950 to 1980, Jewish donations and loans from all over the world to Israel (called loans, the terms are no different from donations, because Jews have no habit of paying interest on borrowing money from each other, but there are other differently.) to $120 billion. In 1948, the year Israel was founded, American Jews alone donated 2 million U.S. dollars, equivalent to the total income of American Jews that year!Whenever Israel is at war, Jewish donations from abroad will flood in. In addition to cash and checks, people will send houses and car gas station deeds. Women will donate their rings and jewelry. Giving the coins he had accumulated, one old man even gave his entire fortune, $30, 6 cents.The enormity of the creed of "charity is justice" is best represented by a passage written by a professor of a Jewish seminary in a check for $9 to the fund-raising organization. Charisma: "We're willing to help you in any way you think it's feasible—to answer the phone or to stick a stamp. I would willingly go to Israel and replace someone else with other duties. You know, in the past, when those 2 million people left The world watched silently while entering the gas chamber; now, as millions of survivors are washed down the well, I will not remain silent!"

to help others
Things in the world tend to go the other way, especially good things.Therefore, with the generosity of the Jews and the perfect and effective charity system, outsiders are easy to worry about them, whether they will not be able to receive relief one day because it is too easy to receive relief.However, it turns out that the Jewish poor themselves do not rely heavily on charitable organizations or charitable activities, often taking advantage of them temporarily when they have no other choice.Whenever possible, they immediately gave up the crutch and stood on their own feet.

In terms of values, the Jews admire charity, not honor receiving charity.For the Jews, the need to accept relief undoubtedly proves that they have reached the point of abject poverty, which is tantamount to admitting their failure and incompetence, which is a great shame.This kind of concept and mentality is typically reflected in a Jewish proverb: "It is better to live a life of poverty than to live under the charity of others." , it cannot be said that there is nothing left, at least it is in jeopardy.It is this attitude of treating charitable things as "food for grabs" that keeps the Jewish poor hidden in many cases, or, more accurately, makes them rise from poverty.In the latter process, the way in which Jewish charities helped them also played a huge role.

For example, the Jews have always had great sympathy for girls from poor families, because they may not be able to marry because they cannot afford a dowry.There is a Jewish saying that having an unmarried daughter past her age is one of the greatest misfortunes a family can experience.Therefore, in the Jewish charity system, special favors are given to girls from poor backgrounds.Jewish law stipulates that a young girl without parents is not required to contribute a tithe if her dowry would be lower than the normal marriage level and affect her chances of marriage.This is one of very few exemptions.In addition, many Jewish communities have a special fund for poor brides to buy dowry, called "hachnasatkallah".For example, the London Jewish Community in the United Kingdom has an "Ani Abib Credit Union" that "provides funding for poor Jewish ladies and training gifted Jewish girls every year". There is also a requirement that such a girl or bride prove that she has indeed made an effort to become self-reliant.

Since for a long time there was only one legitimate way for girls to save money, and that was to be a maid, it is no wonder that the "Lithuanian Jewish Council" clearly stipulated as early as 1638: "Girls from poor families... Documents issued by the leaders of the community certify that during their life in the community, they have been working as maids in other people's homes for three years since the age of 12 - because this age is suitable for housework - before they can receive financial support." Jewish Community There is such a requirement for self-reliance for poor girls who take good care of them, so there is no need to mention other objects of relief.When I talked about the two "beggars" earlier, the reason why they said that they were not like Jews was not only because of their thick skins, but also that under the Jewish charity system, such a kind of "unscrupulous" people would never be created. People who enjoy "fat chicken and old wine".Maimonides, a famous Jewish thinker and authority on the Jewish law, once clearly declared that the highest level of charity in the highest level (there are eight levels in total) is to take in a poor Israeli, give him something, or lend him something. He asks for a sum of money, or recruits him into a gang, or finds him a job. The purpose is to make his hands strong, so that he no longer needs to ask others for help.

"Make the object of relief no longer turn to others" is the ultimate goal of Jewish charity activities.No matter in terms of morality, economy or national survival, this goal is the most reasonable.Once any kind of philanthropy achieves such a goal, it means that it has entered a virtuous circle.It can be said that the reason why the Jews of the world can provide so much donations to Israel is not only that they give priority to the Jewish state, but also that the vast majority of Jewish communities have successfully solved their respective problems. Everyday Relief Issues.And one of the main reasons for this success is precisely that they produce people who no longer turn to people for help.

helping others is helping oneself
In the "Talmud", it is said: "Be kind to everyone, and your reputation will last forever." Looking at the successful course of the Jewish giants, perhaps everyone will notice that they have a common move, that is, to pay attention to generosity in getting rich Do all kinds of good deeds and public welfare undertakings.Of course, the enthusiasm of Jewish businessmen to donate money to start public welfare undertakings is, in the final analysis, a marketing strategy that increases the company’s popularity, expands its influence, and wins the favor of consumers. Functional.

One of the creeds in the Jewish faith says: Wherever the Jews live, they should take root there.They not only do business with integrity, but also live in harmony with the Jews. They even use their wealth and business to help and shelter Jewish compatriots or non-Jews. make enemies.

(End of this chapter)