Is this a good charity?

[Israel Chai]

If you have to donate money to somewhere that gives people food where you can ensure the people getting the food really need it and are Jewish, and the organization is actually going to spend the money on that, is this a good one?

http://www.yadeliezer.org/

[Zelhar]

You need to check how much they spend on SAG (selling/promotions administration and general). Also you need to decide for yourself if they use the funds for a worthy cause. Personally I think the poverty problem is overblown and I don't think there are people in Israel who would starve without these charities. Israel is a welfare state and significant portion of our budget is already spent on an ever growing numbers of the needy which most of them are not that helpless and miserable. I would like to see these type of charities spend less time and money advertising their "help" to hundreds of thousands of self identified "poor" and make more effort sorting out the real cases of people who need help, such as people who have severe medical problems etc.

[mord]

It looks good    http://www.af-ye.org/images/Charity_Navigator_Letter_of_Commendation.pdf

[muman613]

My Rabbi turned me on to Ezras Torah charity... I have been giving to them for years (possibly 10 years) now...

http://www.ezrastorah.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezras_Torah_Fund

The Ezras Torah[1] Fund was founded at a meeting of the Agudas HaRabbanim (Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada) on August 25, 1915 (15 Elul, 5675).[2] It was an outgrowth of the Central Relief Committee (also founded by the Agudas HaRabbanim) that was created to assist Orthodox Jews in Europe during World War I. Ezras Torah’s role was to specifically assist town rabbis, roshei yeshiva, and yeshivas during the upheaval years of World War I. They eventually broadened their scope to a worldwide level after the war.

The founding leadership of Ezras Torah was composed of Rabbi Israel Rosenberg, Rabbi Dr. Philip Klein (aka Hillel HaKohen) and Rabbi Yaakov Eskolsky. Rabbi Rosenberg was president until 1955. Rabbi Klein was treasurer until his death in 1926. Rabbi Eskolsky was secretary until about 1925. Rabbi Moshe Margolin was executive director until his death in 2006.

The personality who would be most prominently associated with Ezras Torah was Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin. He served as the director of Ezras Torah from around 1925 until his death in 1973.


A nice thing is that if you give a decent amount ($18 or more) they will send you a calendar (luach) with all Jewish observances documented.


  Our Tzedakoss

– CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF TZEDAKAH FOR K’LAL YISROEL –

Ezras Torah, established in 1915 by Gedolei Torah, is a nonprofit Jewish relief organization that specializes in supplying funds to needy Torah families primarily in Israel.

Our programs include Emergency Medical Assistance, Housing Assistance, Wedding Assistance, Jewish Holiday Grants, Maternity Grants, Widow and Orphan Assistance, Assistance to new immigrants, Special Need and Interest Free Loans. For more information on Ezras Torah and its programs click here.

Ezras Torah has received across the board support from World Jewish Torah leaders since its inception in 1915. For more on the history of Ezras Torah click here.

Thousand of families receive each year financial support in a respectful and dignified manner through Ezras Torah. We depend on your contributions, involvement and support, to continue this work. Ezras Torah receives no government aid but continues its work of Charity (Tzedakah) and Kindness (Chesed) solely through the donations of its supporters.

Click here to offer your support. All contributions are tax deductible.

Ezras Torah is also known for its world renowned Halachic Calendar and Guide, providing important information on how to conduct oneself as a Jew or Jewess on a day to day basis. This unique Luach also includes a list of Candle Lighting times and important Zmanim for many major cities in the United States and Canada. To see this month's calendar guide of laws and customs or a nationwide list of candle lighting times for major cities in the U.S. and Canada, click here.

To order your own Calendar (Luach) click here.

[muman613]

[Spiraling Leopard]

I thought you were depressed because you didn't have any money.

[Yehudayaakov]

I thought you were depressed because you didn't have any money.

That doesn't prevent to give charity having no money has nothing do with that!

[Zelhar]

Having no money has nothing to do with not giving it away?!

That doesn't prevent to give charity having no money has nothing do with that!

[Yehudayaakov]

Having no money has nothing to do with not giving it away?!

Ah can't deny it 

[muman613]

Everyone, no matter how much or how little they make, are obligated to give Charity. This is an OBLIGATION of the Torah. It is a firm Jewish belief that giving charity increases ones livelihood and does not detract from it.

http://www.aish.com/ci/be/48956156.html

Q. Our family lives on a very tight budget, but we are managing without any outside assistance. Are we obligated to give charity from our meager income?

A. Giving charity is one of the most important commandments. The Torah expounds on the great blessing that accrues to one who is generous in this mitzvah (Deuteronomy 15:10):

    Surely give him, and don't let your heart be grieved when you give to him, for because of this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your deeds, and in all you set out to do.

Normally, a person should give at least ten percent of his income (after tax) to charity. This practice is called maser kesafim, a tithe of money, and is analogous to the agricultural tithes that were given by Biblical command from produce in the land of Israel.

Amazingly, the commandment of giving charity is such a basic requirement that even a poor person who is himself a charity recipient is required to give charity to other needy individuals from the money he himself receives. The community must provide needy individuals with all of their needs; this includes the human need to give charity:

    Mar Zutra stated, even a poor person who is supported by charity must [himself] give charity. (1)

The Talmud then goes on to say that even for a charity recipient, giving charity to others can help rescue him from poverty.

However, a poor person does not give ten percent of his income, but rather a token amount. Regarding larger donations, the great early sage Rav Saadiah Gaon wrote, "A person must give precedence to his own support before that of others, and he is not obligated to give charity until he has enough to support himself, as it is written, "Let your [needy] brother live with you" – your life precedes the life of your brother. (2)

Exactly what is the poverty line? In the time of the Talmud, it was considered that a person could subsist for a year on an income of 50 zuz (an ancient coin). Therefore, someone who had a regular income at this level was not eligible for public support. But Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, a 14th century authority, commented that this figure itself included other forms of public support besides charity, including agricultural gifts. He adds:

    Nowadays, when we don't have all this, a person is eligible to accept [charity] until he has sufficient resources to support himself from his income. . . We see that everything is according to the situation. In those days perhaps the cost of living was very low and perhaps it was possible to live comfortably on an income of fifty zuz, but nowadays it is impossible. And everything is according to the place and the time. (3)

The amount of income needed to be able to qualify for some degree of public support nowadays is far above what was considered "subsistence" level a generation ago. For example, years ago a washing machine was a luxury, but today it is a necessity -- there are virtually no Laundromats left.

So if you are at or below the level where you are obtaining or at any rate eligible for means-tested assistance, then you should be giving a token amount to charity. If you are making more than that, then you should strive to give ten percent to those needier than you, as long of course as this does not drive you back below the modern-day subsistence level.

Even if you find that you are exempt from giving a substantial amount of charity because of your limited means, you should still give a token amount in order to remain in the habit of helping others.

SOURCES: (1) Babylonian Talmud Gittin 7b (2) Cited in Tur and Rema Yoreh Deah 251 (3) Tur Yoreh Deah 253

[muman613]

Prodezra Beats knows what he's talking about in this song about Tzedakah.

[muman613]

These are some of the laws of Charity...


http://www.torah.org/learning/halacha/classes/class95.html

Chapter 34: 1-3
The Laws Pertaining to Tzedakah

1. It is a positive mitzvah to give charity to the poor of Israel, as [Deuteronomy 15:8] states: "You shall surely open your hand for him," and [Leviticus 25:36] states: "And your brother shall live with you." Whoever sees a poor man requesting help and turns away from him without giving him charity violates a negative command, as [Deuteronomy 15:7] states; "Do not close your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother."

Charity is the sign of the descendants of our Patriarch Abraham, as [Genesis 18:19] states: "for I know him; that he will command his children... to perform tzedakah."

The throne of Israel will not be established and the true faith will not stand except through tzedakah, as [Isaiah 54:14] states: "I shall be established through tzedakah." Giving tzedakah supersedes all the sacrifices, as [Proverbs 21:3] states: "The performance of tzedakah and judgement will be more desirable before G-d than an altar." Israel will be redeemed only through tzedakah, as [Isaiah 1:27] states: "Zion will be redeemed through judgement and those who return to her through tzedakah."

A person will never become poor because of giving tzedakah, nor will any evil or damage come because of tzedakah, as [Isaiah 32:17] states: "The work of tzedakah is peace." Whoever, shows mercy will have mercy shown towards him, as [Deuteronomy 13:18] states: "He will grant you mercy, have compassion on you, and make you flourish." In contrast, the lineage of anyone who is cruel is a matter of question.

The Holy One, blessed be He, is close to the call of the poor, as [Job 34:28] states: "And He hears the cries of the poor." Accordingly, one should take great care lest they cry out, for a covenant has ben established with them, as [Exodus 22:26] states: "And it shall come to pass that he will cry to Me, and I will hear, for I am compassionate." The Jerusalem Talmud (see Shir Hashirim Rabboh 6:11) states: "The door which will not open for the poor will open for the physician."

A person should meditate on the fact that, at every moment, he asks G-d for his livelihood. Just as he requests that the Holy One, blessed be He, hear his cry, so too should he hear the cry of the poor. He should also meditate on the fact that the wheel of fortune turns constantly, and ultimately either he, his children, or his grandchildren will need to receive charity.

A person should not think: How can I reduce my wealth by giving it to the poor? He must realize that the money is not his, but rather a trust granted to him in order to carry out the will of the One who entrusted it to him. This is the portion which he will ultimately receive for all his labor in this world, as [Isaiah 58:8] states: "Your tzedakah will proceed before you." Tzedakah wards off harsh decrees and prolongs one's life.

2. Every person is obligated to give charity according to his potential, even a poor man who derives his livelihood from charity. If he has some money of his own which he does not invest in business, he is permitted to take charity since the principal is not invested in a manner which will allow him to live off the profits. Nevertheless, since he has a base which could provide an income, he is obligated to give tzedakah from what is being given him.

Even if he is able to give only a small amount, he should not hold himself back, because the small amount he gives is equivalent to a large amount given by a rich man. In this vein, {Menochos 110a] states: When [Leviticus 1:9] describes a burnt offering of a beast, it uses the expression "a fire-offering, a pleasing fragrance"; when it (ibid. 1:17) describes the burnt offering of a fowl, it also states: "a fire-offering, a pleasing fragrance"; when it (ibid. 2:9) describes the meal offering, it also states: "a fire-offering, a pleasing fragrance." This teaches that there is no difference whether one gives a lot or a little, so long as one directs one's heart to one's Father in Heaven.

Nevertheless, anyone who has no more than what is necessary for his own livelihood is not required to give tzedakah, for one's own livelihood has precedence over that of any other person.

3.How much should be given to poor person? "Enough to meet all his needs" (Deuteronomy 15:8). This applies to a poor man who receives charity without anyone knowing of it. The people of his city are obligated to give him enough for all his needs, allowing him to maintain the same standard of living as before he became impoverished.

In contrast, if a poor man goes around collecting alms, it is necessary to give him a small donation according to his stature. At the very least, in the entire city, he should be given enough bread and food for two meals each day and a place to sleep.

We must support and clothe the gentile poor together with the Jewish poor, as an act of peace.

[Israel Chai]

I thought you were depressed because you didn't have any money.

You don't know anything about me, please do not tell me anything about yourself.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Everyone, no matter how much or how little they make, are obligated to give Charity. This is an OBLIGATION of the Torah. It is a firm Jewish belief that giving charity increases ones livelihood and does not detract from it.

http://www.aish.com/ci/be/48956156.html

Q. Our family lives on a very tight budget, but we are managing without any outside assistance. Are we obligated to give charity from our meager income?

A. Giving charity is one of the most important commandments. The Torah expounds on the great blessing that accrues to one who is generous in this mitzvah (Deuteronomy 15:10):

    Surely give him, and don't let your heart be grieved when you give to him, for because of this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your deeds, and in all you set out to do.

Normally, a person should give at least ten percent of his income (after tax) to charity. This practice is called maser kesafim, a tithe of money, and is analogous to the agricultural tithes that were given by Biblical command from produce in the land of Israel.

Amazingly, the commandment of giving charity is such a basic requirement that even a poor person who is himself a charity recipient is required to give charity to other needy individuals from the money he himself receives. The community must provide needy individuals with all of their needs; this includes the human need to give charity:

    Mar Zutra stated, even a poor person who is supported by charity must [himself] give charity. (1)

The Talmud then goes on to say that even for a charity recipient, giving charity to others can help rescue him from poverty.

However, a poor person does not give ten percent of his income, but rather a token amount. Regarding larger donations, the great early sage Rav Saadiah Gaon wrote, "A person must give precedence to his own support before that of others, and he is not obligated to give charity until he has enough to support himself, as it is written, "Let your [needy] brother live with you" – your life precedes the life of your brother. (2)

Exactly what is the poverty line? In the time of the Talmud, it was considered that a person could subsist for a year on an income of 50 zuz (an ancient coin). Therefore, someone who had a regular income at this level was not eligible for public support. But Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, a 14th century authority, commented that this figure itself included other forms of public support besides charity, including agricultural gifts. He adds:

    Nowadays, when we don't have all this, a person is eligible to accept [charity] until he has sufficient resources to support himself from his income. . . We see that everything is according to the situation. In those days perhaps the cost of living was very low and perhaps it was possible to live comfortably on an income of fifty zuz, but nowadays it is impossible. And everything is according to the place and the time. (3)

The amount of income needed to be able to qualify for some degree of public support nowadays is far above what was considered "subsistence" level a generation ago. For example, years ago a washing machine was a luxury, but today it is a necessity -- there are virtually no Laundromats left.

So if you are at or below the level where you are obtaining or at any rate eligible for means-tested assistance, then you should be giving a token amount to charity. If you are making more than that, then you should strive to give ten percent to those needier than you, as long of course as this does not drive you back below the modern-day subsistence level.

Even if you find that you are exempt from giving a substantial amount of charity because of your limited means, you should still give a token amount in order to remain in the habit of helping others.

SOURCES: (1) Babylonian Talmud Gittin 7b (2) Cited in Tur and Rema Yoreh Deah 251 (3) Tur Yoreh Deah 253

Simply untrue.  Unless you are talking about after expenses.  If someone makes so little money that they spend all their income on food and basic needs, or chas vshalom they don't even make enough to cov3r those basic needs, they are not obligated to give away even one single cent.

As for the idea of giving 10%, for those who can afford to do so, there is machloket among the poskim whether it's a mitzvah or a custom, or just a good idea.

And oh yeah, we are talking about Jews not nonJews. I don't know of any obligation on nonJews to give charity.

[Israel Chai]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_TyrEUpZ8Y

[muman613]

KWRBT,

If you read what I posted from Chabad it says exactly the same...

However, a poor person does not give ten percent of his income, but rather a token amount. Regarding larger donations, the great early sage Rav Saadiah Gaon wrote, "A person must give precedence to his own support before that of others, and he is not obligated to give charity until he has enough to support himself, as it is written, "Let your [needy] brother live with you" – your life precedes the life of your brother. (2)

Exactly what is the poverty line? In the time of the Talmud, it was considered that a person could subsist for a year on an income of 50 zuz (an ancient coin). Therefore, someone who had a regular income at this level was not eligible for public support. But Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, a 14th century authority, commented that this figure itself included other forms of public support besides charity, including agricultural gifts. He adds:

    Nowadays, when we don't have all this, a person is eligible to accept [charity] until he has sufficient resources to support himself from his income. . . We see that everything is according to the situation. In those days perhaps the cost of living was very low and perhaps it was possible to live comfortably on an income of fifty zuz, but nowadays it is impossible. And everything is according to the place and the time. (3)

The amount of income needed to be able to qualify for some degree of public support nowadays is far above what was considered "subsistence" level a generation ago. For example, years ago a washing machine was a luxury, but today it is a necessity -- there are virtually no Laundromats left.

So if you are at or below the level where you are obtaining or at any rate eligible for means-tested assistance, then you should be giving a token amount to charity. If you are making more than that, then you should strive to give ten percent to those needier than you, as long of course as this does not drive you back below the modern-day subsistence level.

And of course LKZ is a Jew... It helps to read the post before replying...

BTW, could you provide sources to support the claim it is not a mitzvah? The Shulchan Aruch says indeed it is a commandment of the Torah.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

I can kinda understand SP's question.... To me, it seems kind of rude to ask about another charity, when JTF is trying to raise money to help Jews....  And the last thing we knew was, LKZ was broke, and it almost seemed as if it was Judaism's fault, from his perspective....

[muman613]

Also it is clear from the Torah that there is a command to give charity to our bretheren, no matter how much you want to deny it...

It is a positive mitzvah to give charity to the poor of Israel, as [Deuteronomy 15:8] states: "You shall surely open your hand for him," and [Leviticus 25:36] states: "And your brother shall live with you." Whoever sees a poor man requesting help and turns away from him without giving him charity violates a negative command, as [Deuteronomy 15:7] states; "Do not close your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother."

Maybe you can explain how these quotations are referring to something other than charity?

[muman613]

We should give to charities which benefit the poor as this is the gist of the commandment (as I posted above).

[muman613]

Quoted from Chabad.org's translation

Dueteronomy/Devarim 15

7  If there will be among you a needy person, from one of your brothers in one of your cities, in your land the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not close your hand from your needy brother.
8  Rather, you shall open your hand to him, and you shall lend him sufficient for his needs, which he is lacking.
9  Beware, lest there be in your heart an unfaithful thought, saying, "The seventh year, the year of release has approached," and you will begrudge your needy brother and not give him, and he will cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin to you.    
10 You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; for because of this thing the Lord, your God, will bless you in all your work and in all your endeavors.
11 For there will never cease to be needy within the land. Therefore, I command you, saying, you shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor one, and to your needy one in your land.

Seems to me, pretty open and shut, that there is a commandment to provide for the needs of a poor brother....

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

I agree. We should give charity in whatever form possible, that we can.

[muman613]

Apparently Rambam also considered this a commandment from the Written Torah:

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/986708/jewish/Matnot-Aniyim-Chapter-7.htm


Halacha 1

It is a positive commandment to give charity1 to the poor among the Jewish people,2 according to what is appropriate for the poor person3 if this is within the financial capacity of the donor,4 as [Deuteronomy 15:5] states: "You shall certainly open your hand to him." [Leviticus 25:35] states: "You shall support him, a stranger and a resident and they shall live with you," and [ibid.:36] states: "And your brother shall live with you."
Halacha 2

Anyone who sees a poor person asking5 and turns his eyes away from him and does not give him charity transgresses a negative commandment,6 as [Deuteronomy 15:7] states: "Do not harden your heart or close your hand against your brother, the poor person."
Halacha 3

We are commanded to give a poor person according to what he lacks. If he lacks clothes, we should clothe him. If he lacks household utensils, we should purchase them for him. If he is unmarried, we should help him marry. And for an unmarried woman, we should find a husband for her.

Even if the personal habit of this poor person was to ride on a horse and to have a servant run before him7 and then he became impoverished and lost his wealth, we should buy a horse for him to ride and a servant to run before him.8 [This is implied by Deuteronomy 15:8 which] speaks [of providing him with] "enough to [fill the] lack that he feels."9 You are commanded to fill his lack, but you are not obligated to enrich him.10

.
.
.

[Yehudayaakov]

For all the effort clarifying the matter, thank Muman.

[muman613]

For all the effort clarifying the matter, thank Muman.

Shalom Yehudayaakov,

I knew what you were talking about from your first post in this thread...

My fathers fathers Hebrew name was Yehudah, I am Michael Ben David Ben Yehudah.. The name comes from the root Hodah which means 'Thankfulness' or the feeling of appreciation for the good.

[muman613]

http://www.torah.org/learning/tabletalk/5764/vayeitzei.html

Parashat Vayeitzei

Rabbi Raymond Beyda

Thanks a Lot!

"Again she [Leah] conceived and bore a son and declared, 'This time I will thankfully praise Hashem'." Beresheet 29:35

Yaakob Abinu a'h followed his father's instructions and traveled to the home of Laban, his mother's brother, in order to marry. After working 7 years for the hand of Rahel, his unscrupulous uncle substituted Leah for her sister and Yaakob, after agreeing to work an additional seven years for the rights to marry Rahel, then wed his first choice. With each bride he also married another [a maidservant], giving him a total of 4 spouses. Yaakob and his wives knew that the foundations of the Jewish people were in their hands and that they were destined to give birth to a total of 12 tribes.

The first to conceive was Leah. In fact, she gave birth to four children before Rahel had even born one child. The names given were symbolic expressions of her feelings. Reuben, Hashem saw [re-u means to see] my suffering; Shimon, Hashem heard [shema means to hear] my cries; Levi, my husband will now accompany [levaya means to escort] me. The fourth child was named Yehudah [hoda-ah is thanks] -- "This time I will gratefully praise Hashem."

The Talmud says: "From the time of creation there was no person who praised Hashem until Leah came and thanked him upon the birth of Yehudah. (Berakhot 7b)" Could it be that Leah did not express thanks for her first three children? Is it possible Abraham, Yitzhak, Sarah and Ribka never thanked Hashem for their good fortunes? Was there no human being before Leah who gratefully praised G-d?

Certainly there were others who expressed appreciation to the Master of the Universe; however, the thanks of Leah had a unique quality none other contained.

Leah knew that she was destined to participate in the nation building process. Knowing there were to be 12 tribes and that there were 4 wives she, like the others, assumed that each wife would have 3 children to raise. When Yehudah, her fourth was born, she felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that she had gotten MORE than what was due. Many feel that they earn what they receive from G-d. "I do misvot, I help others and Hashem sends me His acknowledgment in the form of bounty." Leah felt what she had she did not deserve and even more so --an additional child was too good to be true. When a person thanks Hashem -- one should feel that ALL one has is a gift -- totally undeserved. This attitude can open the wells of the heart to an expression of true gratitude.

Rav Abraham Pam zt'l explained that when one achieves a happy milestone in life, marriage, a newborn child or a financial achievement, one's heart overflows with joy and gratitude. Yet, as time passes one gets used to the good fortune and the joy begins to dissipate. As happiness is burdened with responsibility to provide for a spouse, to raise the child, or to handle the new level of financial responsibility -- exhaustion and stress replace euphoria. Leah understood this psychological phenomenon. As the happy mother of a fourth child, she wanted to permanently ingrain her initial simha so that it would not diminish with time. Therefore, she put the root of the word for "thanks" in her son's name. In this way she would re-ignite her appreciation every time she called her son's name. This type of thanks -- no one before Leah had expressed.

Rabenu Yosef Hayim of Baghdad zt'l explains his approach with a parable. A king engaged two expert craftsmen to build an additional wing to his palace. The two arrived on the scene and began the project. One, unfortunately, became ill and was unable to work. The royal doctor's spent weeks administering medical care and by the time he had recovered the new wing was already completed. The king paid both craftsmen their full pay and sent them on their way. Upon arriving home both workers composed beautiful thank you letters to the sovereign. The king then sent to the worker who had performed his duties a bonus check and to the one who was ill throughout the project he sent nothing. The king's servants, puzzled by his behavior asked, "Your Majesty, was the craftsmen's letter lacking so much that you refused to send him a bonus check like you did to his counterpart?"

"No, on the contrary", replied the monarch, "the letter was just as beautiful, if not more so, than the one his friend sent. However, his thank was obligatory. After all I did pay him even though he did not work on the project. His friend, on the other hand, received pay for services rendered and yet he felt an urge to thank me for what was by right due to him This kind of thanks deserves special notice!"

Explains the Ben Ish Hai zt'l, Hashem sends His Heavenly aid to His people in two ways -- The natural and the miraculous. When we are witness to a miracle we are quick to praise the Lord for His kindness. It is, however, more commendable when we take notice of the daily kindnesses and protection that Hashem provides in un-dramatic, "natural" fashion. This behavior on our part, in itself, invokes more Divine Providence on our behalf.

We must all learn from Leah the right approach towards our blessings. We should feel they are undeserved. We must take notice that they are constant. We must remind ourselves of our obligation to thank every time we hear our name "YEHUDIM" -- the people who thank G-d.

Shabbat Shalom