Monday, October 7, 2024

Tzedaka Priorities

                                    ותשובה ותפילה וצדקה מעבירין את רוע הגזירה
          To Whom Do We Give Tzedakah and Who Comes Before Whom?

Aseres Yemei Teshhuva between  Rosh hashana and yom kippur when many tzedaka requests are made by  Mosdos, Yeshivos individuals and organizations asking for donations as klal yisrael is in a giving mode of tzedaka during this time. we are bombarded by Tzedaka letters in the mail, robo calls, telemarketers soliciting donations, emails, a meshulach knocking at your door or approaching you in shul. Some have family obligations to support a relative.   
If one can afford to give to all that would be wonderful, however not everyone is capable of that.  The question is is whom do I have to give

According to Halacha there are priorities in who to give tzedaka to first. Please discuss this with your Local Rabbi as there are differences of opinions.
Some Poskim rule that Hachzokas hatorah is the highest form of giving tzedaka.  categories in giving based on the shulchan aruch Yore Deah: The Laws of Tzedakah siman 251

Category 1: Captives, prisoners and matters of life and death- pikuach nefesh
Category 2: Very close relatives


Category 3: Needy Torah scholars, support for dissemination of Torah learning, and other poor persons
Category 4: Communal needs
Category 5: To finance the cost of mitzvos
  Rav Moshe Feinstein rules (Igros Moshe Yore deah 144) that the giver of charity has the right of disposition and the system of detailed priorities applies only to communal Tzedaka funds. An individual has more leeway on the concept of Tovas hana'ah in giving. Some Poskim rule that Hachzokas hatorah is the highest form of giving tzedaka. see more about the halachos of Tzedaka HERE

15 comments:

  1. "Mochor Yieye Haois Hazea" - a unique shiur about Tefilas Yomim Noraim and Slichos of Erev Yom HaKippurim from Horav Michoel Sorotzkin Shlit'a. https://youtube.com/watch?v=d6c1uElD4Q4&feature=share

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    1. Can't open the link. Can u please send it open so i can just click n get in??

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  2. If a mossad is just collecting to build a grand addition to their building in a few years, encroaching on neighbor's rights, is that a priority tzedakah?

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  3. It's fascinating that most of us follow or at least put a lot of weight in the mishna berurah opinions as the posed acharon.However when it comes to giving despite the fact that the chofetz chaim authored a entire sefer on tzedoko It is almost completely disregarded.

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  4. Rav Asher Weiss, in a shiur in Toronto, was mesupak about which level does Kiruv fit into, since it didn't exist until recently. He said that it probably is in the category of Talmud Torah and maybe even higher, based on the gemara Bava Metzi 85 which seems to say that teaching a ben am haaretz Torah is a higher level than teaching a Ben Chaveiro Torah. But he wasn't sure.

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    1. A great Kiruv organization to give to : rutgersjx.com/donate

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  5. Hgaon Reb Feivel Cohen ztl also has a sefer on הלכות צדקה

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  6. Could somone tell my very close relative we're plotzing and we come before all the other excellent causes. Thank you

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    1. Why don't you tell him yourself? אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי?

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    2. If someone offered you a job would you accept?

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    3. Happens all the time... Hard to comprehend..

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    4. Why do you assume everyone with a job doesn't need tzedaka. Back to the koichi voitzem yadi.

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  7. It's not a question if you can afford to make a donation to every cause which knocks on your door. You are obligated to fulfill the needs of each priority totally if you are capable.once that priority is completely taken care of then you can move on to the next.

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  8. Leolam al yevazvaz odom yoiser meichomesh. What is a fifth see ChofetzChaim Ahavas Chesed. See Ramabam Igeres Teimon. See Maharsho Kesuvos daf 66, where he explains that may not apply to ultra rich. Who would be considered ultra rich today?
    This is not an internet topic. It would take a BMG Chaburah a full zman of hasmodah to decipher. IMHO.

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    1. Will not take a full zman to decipher.
      If they advocate anything other than give to BMG approved tzedakot, they'll be thrown out of BMG.

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