#tzedaka

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

This campaign is still active and fundraising for the next 5 days or so - please donate and/or boost if you can.

[Posted 12.25.2023]

[leahbasavraham]

how do we feel about my rough translation ?

[psychologeek]

I don't know those people, and don't have the energy to verify it, but it's important.

I always recommend checking any donation/gfm links you get, but assuming it's legit - this is pure life saving

(you want to help - here's how you can)

a former classmate of mine shared this fundraiser for her family that is aiming to leave gaza

[handmedownpocketpussy]

1 litro de rico fanesca con higos por $10!

[bdkinz]

Audio - Lessons in Tanya 64

Continuation of chapter 37. We continue to explore how to bring out light from our actions. The discussion is the overarching value of charity for enhancing our actions while also dealing with a previous notion that study is equal to all actions, including acts of kindness/charity. We reflect on how both study and action are elements needed to reveal the light of the divine hidden away in the…

[laineystein]

Do you have any tips for not completely falling apart right now? I know everyone always knocks your positivity but its actually one of my favorite parts of following you so I figured if I should ask someone it would be you. Thank you for always being a light…and only answer when you feel up to it. I know you have alot going on right now!

First off, thank you! That’s so kind 🥰

Honestly, it’s kind of okay to fall apart. I wouldn’t expect anything less of any Jew right now. Let yourself feel the pain and lean into those emotions and ideally channel them into something better - action to bring the hostages home, a mitzvah or tzedaka, etc.

When you’re done falling apart? Or during? Hug the people you love so so tight. Hold on for just a bit longer than usual. Take care of yourself - rest and self care are key. Do the things that make you feel like you and do them with people that know you best. Daven - be mispallel for the hostages we’ve lost and the hostages that have yet to come home. Celebrate - lean into simchas and let yourself feel joy and pride at these traditions that have always kept our people going. Dance - because you can. And love your fellow Jew - ahavas chinam always. That is the only way out of this.

Sending so much love your way. We’ll get through this IYH 💙

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

🎉 Looks like she's exceeded her goal! 🎉

If anyone wants to directly help a Palestinian family reunite in the UK, this young graduate student is trying to get her daughter out of Gaza. The UK government makes the visa process as difficult as possible, and the only thing that makes it easier is money. This fundraiser has already raised a good sum, but I know from experience that every penny counts, so please donate or share if you can.

[hero-israel]

I wanted to apologize again for the rant. I barely remember writing it (which is kinda terrifying). I saw your suggestion to breathe and I’m trying lol. But I saw that it angered a number of people in the notes and I wanted to reiterate:

-I try and fight by finding information that combats the vast array of misinformation and spread the correct information. I’m an anxiety ridden non confrontational person and people online tend to be five times more eloquent than me. So basically all I can do is “spread the word.” The more people see the whole picture, the better, right? With my own mental struggles, I’ll see some horrid information, try and find where it came from and how it spread. When it’s everywhere ( on so many news outlets) and I don’t know what to do, I freak out. The awful Congo rumors are an example. Given the government has pulled back on those words, the best thing to call them at this point are rumors, right?

It’s surreal where I am. I am well aware I’m privileged. I count my blessings, and I worry over those that don’t. (Every story and testimony I hear about the female hostages in particular make me feel helpless and sick to my stomach. So much talk about the crisis women in Gaza are facing, but nothing about the conditions of female hostages. You have to actively search to find out, and it’s usually independent sources spreading the word of what released hostages have said).

And all of the conflict where I am is online. In the outside world, off of the local college campus, (which I think I said. I apologize again, I think I wrote the previous message in a panic,) people are only interested in their coffee. I count myself lucky that I have yet to encounter real life anti semitic situations when I know they’re happening a few hours away from me in larger cities. I am in no financial/economical position to volunteer in Israel to help relocate and aid the displaced in the south, as it came to my attention that there are international volunteers going over. I found out about Stand Together, which I tend to look into. I heard it’s a good organization. And then there’s….Tzedaka? Idk. I just know there are some good Israeli based organizations that give aid, but I can’t remember their names. I’d recognize them if someone said them.

I’m astonished I wrote that much? So I’m going to have to step back. I at least know domestically, I can help by getting the right people elected and combat misinformation. Biden will at least give everyone the freedom to fight with words. Trump would take away freedom of the press and chop free speech in half first chance he gets. I wonder about Nikki Haley, but I’m skeptical she will win the primary.

I don’t understand a lot of what’s going on because I feel like I keep wandering through muck. but I try. When I don’t get what I’ll looking for through news sources, I ask here. It’s easy to tell when news is biased these days and what’s telling the whole story these days. I think I struggle to comprehend how small Israel is sometimes and the idea of everyone being out on the field. (And I understand it’s a privilege to struggle to comprehend such a thing, if that makes sense). I keep thinking there must be people at their homes to fight the government when the government is being stupid, like the protests that happened during COVID, while at the same time I read today about a 95 year old man volunteering to work in the IDF. I try and figure out what’s going on with the regular every day people in Israel, knowing there’s active IDF and volunteers helping the displaced and any Gazans fleeing (though I think the border at the moment is closed, I could be wrong). Is it like Ukraine where quite literally anyone that is physically and economically able to do something is doing something to help?

I read yesterday that a vote may be held? That makes me hopeful. But it’s rare to vote a prime minister or president out of office in the middle of war. And it came to my attention that Israeli politics are as divided as American politics are. I knew they were divided before the war began, as I knew about the two massive protests that happened. I didn’t realize /how/ divided they were until recently. It seems are just more lines drawn in the sand in Israel than there are in the States, and there are more factions and coalitions in Israel. And while there’s not as many lines drawn in the States, the existing lines run deep, and they’re getting vicious. I don’t know how bad the lines drawn are in Israel.

So uh yeah, to everyone, I’m sorry for any misunderstandings. I ramble more than I am eloquent. I’ll take my anxiety ridden butt offline for the moment. I’ll come back better. And thank you specifically for reminding me to breathe

The responses from Israelis on the original post are worth reading.

I didn't have the time or space to address every point of the first post and I still don't for this one, but I can say this much:

When someone is struggling with anxiety, it can leave them prone to doom-spirals even during "normal" levels of bad news. Right now for every Jew except the ~240,000 remaining Holocaust survivors, the news is worse than we've ever seen in our lives. We are all feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to help, how to chip in. If it has indeed reached the level of panic - which you described as severe enough to leave you with "missing" time / actions - it's okay to really take some time off from this, to get help. It's okay to set a literal timer on your phone for how much you engage - to give yourself one hour every other day, and stick to it. No one is helped by a person getting so deep into crisis that they can't function.

You mentioned the programs where people can travel to Israel to help keep farms operational and stuff care packages for displaced families - perhaps you yourself aren't in a position to do that, but could you instead try to encourage other people to do it? Can a local synagogue recommend a phone-banking effort?

The Congo stuff is not a "rumor" - it is "jerking off." Someone idly speculating / wishing to do something which they have neither power nor mechanism to do. It is significantly less real than the time Trump talked about buying Greenland; put it in that context.

Israel is a tiny country, with genocidal fascist militias parked on its northern and southern borders; the reason they can't just pull out of the West Bank is because if not properly managed it would immediately turn into another Gaza but bigger and on top of a mountain range with all of Israel's biggest cities at the bottom. The country is now forced to mobilize for self-defense in a way most Americans can't imagine; if my math is correct, about 4% of the entire population is on active duty within Gaza now, and they all left their families and day jobs behind.

Your prior post asked "can't sensible Israelis stop Netanyahu?" - they've been trying very hard and the outside world has no clue. There were massive protests and riots near-nonstop for a year, including a general strike that shut down the entire country - shut down the hotels and the airport! - that actually managed to get the judicial overhaul postponed. When it did come back, it was in a weaker form (still awful), and then the courts were able to erase the very worst of it and postpone other parts. As an American who has done my fair share of door-to-door canvassing, protesting, and """awareness-raising""", I wish American progressives and centrists had been that successful when it came to, say, the Iraq War, or gun control, or protecting Roe...

There is no imminent vote on the current government (there are municipal elections coming very soon, but those are less important). The next national election - the kind you're thinking of - is October 2026. Which is awful to think about and I sincerely hope the government collapses long before then, as Israeli governments have tended to do for the last 5-6 years.

In general, the most reliable news sources are TOI and Ynetnews, and I listed some good resources here.

I hope this was somewhat helpful and that you are able to reach a better place while still finding a way to defend our community.

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

How do you make sense of the war or explain it to children if they were to ask?

Really depends on the age and how much information they already have when they ask. 4yo is barely aware of the war. I think at one point earlier on we told him something like, "some bad people hurt Jews in Eretz Yisroel," and in school they have done things like davening or giving tzedaka in the merit of Eretz Yisroel, but it really hasn't been necessary to go further than that at this age and with the limited news he has been exposed to. I know the children of one of my friends came home from school talking about bombs, so obviously in that case there was another layer to address...but they're also older. I don't know what the discussion they had was.

[mylight-png]

Hoping the situation in LA is handled soon and that no more lives, homes, and livelihoods are lost. This is absolutely heartbreaking and worrying.

[springstarfangirl]

Hiya! I'm trying to write a Jewish character, can I have some help please? I really want to make her good positive representation

Sure thing! Though do keep in mind that I am only one girl from one stream of a religion that has itself a history of over three millennia, so I can only speak for what I know, that being Orthodox Judaism.

(also this is getting quite long, but I don't know what I expected- the rest is going under the cut.)

So one thing to keep in mind is that Judaism is more than just a religion. It's also a culture, and even just being raised around it- even if your character is secular (doesn't perform the commandments) or atheist/agnostic (doesn't believe God exists/doesn't know if God exists)- it will very much affect your character's mindset and possibly show up in their life in other ways.

In fact, the reason why I separated secular from atheist/agnostic is part of that- Judaism, due to putting more emphasis on the doing than the believing, doesn't really care if you actually believe in God. There are people who very much perform Judaism as a cultural ritual more than as a religion, and they are just as valid as the people who believe that God is there in every corner.

Okay, so what kind of cultural mentalities can you add?

For instance, the idea of proselytizing is forbidden in Judaism. So the way charity differs from tzedaka can be huge. Tzedaka comes from the root word tzedek, justice, and is seen as a way to help someone who's down on their luck to get back on their feet. Not an opportunity to convince them to join your religion. *stares angrily at American charity orgs*

This has a massive effect on how Jewish people see the world. Giving to and helping other people makes us happy, and that in itself is reward enough.

On the more cultural aspect, the menorahs you always see on TV shows? Inaccurate. Those are specific to one holiday, Chanukkah, which is not only a rather minor holiday but is also sometimes viewed as the "Jewish Christmas" when it really isn't. Instead, what any Jewish household would really have is books, and lots of them. The way we view the Tanach is very different from how a lot of Christians view the Bible- it's rarely literal- and so often you'll find a lot of books about Jewish law hanging around. Also, prayer books and candlesticks. Adult Jewish men are supposed to pray three times a day, so someone is bound to leave their prayer book lying around. And the candlesticks are from the "ceremony" (I say, struggling to find a better word) where we welcome Shabbat on Friday just before sunset. A lot of families keep them out all week.

Food is also massively important. Do your research on what's kosher and what's not (though if your character is Reform this may not apply as much- again, I speak from my own experience only) and try to stick to that. That might involve a Jewish character avoiding eating outside the house unless it's a packaged item (which they might check for kashrut symbols), or whispering a blessing before they eat. Kosher meat and cheese are both very hard to find outside of places with a lot of Jews, so they might be vegetarian.

I can't think of anything else right now, so I'll tag @unbidden-yidden because as a convert, they have much more experience with the mindset distinctions between Christianity and Judaism.

Jumblr, feel free to throw all your additions at this post- I need all the help I can get.

I hope this helped at least a little!

[smile-files]

happy Rosh Hashanna/ Shana Tova

Tzedaka!

thank you!!! for your kind words here's a drawing i made of my jellycat plush croissant :)

[thefernmanner]

"Atonement Money." From the Book of Sirach, "The Manner of the Fern" 18: 15-18.

In the prior frame, Sirach said for "a good time" call your hubby. Preferably your own. To show someone else a good time on your own, spontaneously and without expectation or hope for blessings in return, he says resort voluntarily to what is called Tzedaka. Tzedaka is not a Sefir. It will not just pop up because one is pious. This is why Tzedaka or almsgiving called Atonement Money is mandated by the Torah, so long as one does not sell one's soul to the poor.

From Ki Tessa:

"11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. 

13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel,[a] according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 

14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 

16 Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.”

The above suggests the prevention of poverty is the best way to give alms. Man cannot atone for the presence of exploitation of the poor with a dime here, or a dollar there. The poor respond very well to wrap around assistance. All the science says within a few years, poverty can be ended and productive persons added to society so there is no excuse for the persistence of poverty.

Notice there are weights and measures and currency in the above passage, meaning one must consult the Gematria to understand what God told Moshe with precision.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 11-12: The Lord said to Moses: take a census. We must also take a census and know how well each and every person on this world is doing and channel our collective resources appropriately. It is not proper to allow millions and billions of persons to wallow in poverty. The Number is 8834, חחגד‎, chachagad, "as promised..."

v. 13: Those who cross over must give twenty gerahs, or half a shekel, AKA a Sanctuary Shekel.

Twenty gerahs=1736, יעז ל ו, yaez l ev, "dare to go out from your heart." The Hebrew concept of "heart" encompasses more than just the physical organ; it signifies the inner being and decision-making faculty. 

Half a shekel= 174, אזד‎, azad, "strong or mighty."

Sanctuary Shekel=1053, א'‎ןג, ebering, "orangeade." "The region beyond" AKA a big huge Hebrew.

The Number for v. 13 is 11110, יאקי‎, yaki, Hebrew word "yakar" which means "precious or valuable", making "yaki" essentially a variation signifying something or someone cherished and treasured in Jewish culture. 

v. 14-15: This will atone for your lives. The Number is 12064, אךסד‎, achsad, "I suspect."

= try it. But don't be an adulteress.

v. 16: It will be a memorial. The Number is 9282, טבחב‎ ‎, tivchav, "the cook."

Yesterday we focused on the dishwasher, today we are discussing the cook "what is good in the present."

I am admittedly struggling how to turn a discussion of how and why to give up one's virginity pertains to the relief of poverty, except Jewish people believe persons who are chaste are actually impoverished. In verse 11, God says He made a promise, the same He made to Abraham which obligates the Jewish people to be generous. To offer to cook for someone has always meant one wants to become romantic but also maintain the interest, and this means as we learned yesterday. the other must wash the dishes after the meal.

The same Jewish institutions apply to the caretaking of the poor, which is where Sirach takes over:

The Right Spirit in Giving Alms

15 My child, do not mix reproach with your good deeds     or harsh words with any gift. 16 Does not the dew give relief from the scorching heat?     So a word is better than a gift. 17 Indeed, does not a word surpass a good gift?     Both are to be found in a gracious person. 18 A fool will rebuke ungraciously,     and the gift of a grudging giver makes the eyes weary.

Society is engaged in a relentless argument with itself as to how much to speak out for or against the relief of suffering on this world. The Republicans think everyone is trying to steal their money for pointless things, the Democrats their supposed opponents don't do shit for anybody either way, so the world languishes in a dire conditions.

Sirach says this disgraceful situation must be treated with care by gracious persons who know what they are doing. He outlines his suggestion with two steps:

v. 15-16: Do not mix reproach with good deeds. The Number is 11059, אי‎ ןט, ‎‎"the internet."

"News travels fast. Beacons of hate should be a thing of the past."

v. 17-18: Does not a word surpass a good gift? The Number is 9909, טץט‎, tzat, "the word has to get out."

Back to Tzedaka...which is 621, ו‎ךא‎, ‎v‎techa'a‎, "and so on."

The topic is continued in the next frame.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

@screamingfromuz Thank you so much, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to write this all up. 💖

Hi there! I am reaching out because someone sent me a question about how to help Gazan civilians without accidentally helping Hamas or spreading more hate against Israelis. I honestly feel lost on this myself, but as far as I can tell you are someone who has done real activism in Israel. Do you have suggestions for diaspora Jews who want to help fight for peace?

So a small disclaimer to the Gaza problem. We have 2 main problems with getting aid into Gaza, the first is the limited amount of aid that is allowed in, sending more money cannot make it go in faster. Problem number 2 is that much of the physical aid ends in Hamas's hands or in the black market and there is nothing we can do with that. I have heard recommendations to wait and see who opens a field hospital on the Rafah border crossing, and donate to them. Despite that, here are some charities to help Palestinians both in and out of Gaza.

I will admit, most of my activism is focused on deradicalization on the Israeli side and solidarity work, so I had to ask around for some of those charities. Some of the groups I know of do not currently have an international donation link, so if I get more good ones, I'll make another post.

Gaza:

Medical aid for Palestinians-

Anera-

Doctors without borders-

Palestinians outside of Gaza and Peace movements:

Palestinian red Crescent- they also work in Gaza, but as the main source for Palestinian ambulances in the WB, I put them here.

mistaclim (Looking the occupation the the eye)- this group is helping to protect Palestinians from the illegal settlers

Keshet- this is a big one. they support Bedouin communities in normal times, and now they are working on getting bomb shelters to the unrecognized villages, and providing a mental health first aid line.

standing together- totally biased, as I am a member of this organization.

Women wage peace- a feminist based solidarity group

Haqel- they represents Palestinians in cases related to land ownership and access. there work is still ongoing even during the war

Center for Jewish non Violence - a diaspora org that also does a lot of work in the South Hebron Hills.

[bdkinz]

Rebbe Nachman's Advice # 6 - Charity and Faith go together

Faith manifests itself in many forms. Much of our approach to faith is emotional/intellectual, in that we either try to gain clarity and understanding in what we see in the world or allow experience and gut to guide us on our journey. In the below quote from Rebbe Nachman, he suggests that faith has a more pragmatic, action oriented element as well: טז. עִקַּר חֲשִׁיבוּת הַצְּדָקָה…