Selected Reform Responsa 135

PRIORITIES IN CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION 1986

QUESTION: Does tradition set priorities in the distribution of charitable funds which have been collected? In this community there are day schools, afternoon schools, Jewish community center programs, senior adult housing, nursing homes and many other groups which claim priority from the charitable funds. What kind of priorities does the halakhah set?(Rabbi B. Greenspan, Pembroke Pines, FL )

ANSWER: Charity has been emphasized in Judaism since Biblical times. The Torah suggested that one tenth be collected for the poor, and that corners of the field and the gleanings of the harvest be left for them so that they could participate in the harvest. This was a way of providing for individuals who needed food and basic sustenance(Lev. 19, 27.30 ff Nu. 18.26; Deut. 12.17; 2 Ch. 31.5 f; Neh . 13.12).

Many biblical books continue this emphasis and frequently chastise those who neglect the poor while amassing fortunes themselves(Deut . 15.7 f; Amos 2.6 ff; Isaiah 1.17, Jeremiah 7.6; Mal. 3.5; Prov. 31.10; Job 29.16; etc.). Categories of poor, such as widows, orphans and the sick were mentioned, but no priorities were established.

These thoughts were reinterpreted by the later mishnaic and talmudic literature. By that time, portions of the Jewish population lived in urban settings, so the earlier manner of distribution through gleanings and abandoned corners of the field were no longer appropriate. The Mishnah provided for the poor through the continuation of the tithe as well the placement of gifts in a special area of the Temple from which individuals could help themselves according to their need without shame.