Creating Angels

The Hebrew word tzedakah is often translated as "charity." But it actually means something different - it means "justice" or "righteousness." According to the Jewish Sages, tzedakah means we have an obligation to give to those in need - not only when we are feeling generous, but on a regular basis. One talmudic Sage, Rabbi Assi, believed the commandment of tzedakah to be so important that he said, "Tzedakah is as important as all other commandments put together". Barbara Diamond Goldin has brought these stories of tzedakah together in the hope that they will inspire the young and the old, the rich and the poor, to give to those in need and to adopt a righteous sensibility and sensitivity akin to the commandment of performing acts of loving-kindness. By performing these mitzvot, we all engage in tikkun olam - repair of the world - and, according to the Sages, each good deed we perform in the physical world creates an angel in the metaphysical world. This book should encourage readers to create their own angels and to recapture the significance of the mitzvah of tzedakah to the Jewish community, even to the world, today.