EXOD703 As Maimonides notes, a particularly high level of tzedaka is making an interest-free loan to a person in need [this verse and Deuteronomy 23:20-21]. Throughout Jewish history, Jewish communities have set up Free Loan Societies (known as Gemach, from the Hebrew term gemilut chesed, "acts of kindness"), in which loans are given to help people cover basic needs (Such as rent, food, school tuition), and larger sums are extended for broader purposes, such as to help a person start a small business. Such loans "spare the poor embarrassment" (Rashi's commentary on Shabbat 60a).