"Yesodei HaTzedakah"
Exploring the Foundations
of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah

"Yesodei HaTzedakah"

Exploring the Foundations of
the Mitzvah of Tzedakah
by Rabbi Menachem Kasdan, published 2009

• Is there a Mitzvah of Tzedakah to other than poor people? (For instance, would you consider a donation to a Shul a fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Tzedakah?)
• Does the Tzedakah Mitzvah obligate us to support a poor man's Mitzvah needs -– e.g. funding his child's Yeshiva tuition or buying him a mezuzah if he can't afford one -– or only his physical needs?
• When must you give a substantial amount to Tzedakah, and when does giving a small amount suffice?
• Do you fulfill your mitzvah obligation if you were deceived? (For example, if you vowed to give a certain amount of money to Tzedakah and, thinking you were giving it to a poor person, you discovered that you had given it to a charlatan, must you now give a similar amount to a legitimately poor man or, since you had given in good faith, have you already fulfilled your obligation?)
• Why is there no Bracha made on Tzedakah?
• Must one have Kavanah to fulfill the Mitzvah of Tzedakah?
• What does Tzedakah Lishmah mean -- in the realms of Halacha, Drush and Sod?