142 Torah Book & Portion, Book of Deuteronomy, Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9), Source Book Keys, TELVOL2 DEUTERONOMY | 16:20 justice — DEUT850 In Hebrew, the word for charity is tzedak... DEUT850 In Hebrew, the word for charity is tzedaka. But "charity" is not a fully accurate translation of tzedaka. "Charity" derives from the Latin caritas and suggests a donation made out of affection or love. In contrast, tzedaka derives from the word tzedek, which means "justice" (see, for example, [this verse]). Judaism regards someone who gives tzedaka as acting justly, and one who does not as acting unjustly. Thus, in communities ruled according to Jewish law, as was common in the medieval world, communal leaders, believing that they had the right to stop people from acting unjustly, could and did require people to give tzedaka, just as governments compel citizens to pay taxes. Share Print Source KeyTELVOL2Verse16:20Keyword(s)justiceSource Page(s)156-7 Switch article DEUTERONOMY | 16:20 justice — DEUT855 See [[DEUT9]] Deuteronomy 1:16 fairly SAC... Previous Article DEUTERONOMY | 16:20 justice — DEUT856 See [[LEV770]] Leviticus 19:32 aged TELVO... Next Article