Jewish Charitable Theory And Practice

As the first ethical monotheism in the world, Judaism emphasizes the great influence of ethics on belief. As we all know, Judaism focuses on laws, and among many laws and statutes, the law about charity is an important one. Therefore, studies on theories of charity, especially the practice of charity are full of significance to the understanding on the characteristics of Judaism, that is to say, Judaism do not mention too much on dogmas or creeds but pay much attention to daily life practice. The writer summarizes the characteristics of Jewish charity by arranging the development and improvement of the theories of charity and practice of charity during the Jewish long history, which can give reference to Chinese philanthropy nowadays.The structure of this dissertation is simple, which is divided into three parts:Firstly, the definition of Jewish charity is given. Jewish charity is originated from the root word Tsadak, which means "to be just or righteous". Therefore, Jewish charity illustrates justice. This is different from philanthropy which is stemmed from the Greek word philanthropos, and different from charity which is from the Latin word caritas. Both words express one's love to others. According to different definitions in Encyclopedia of Judaism and the regulations on charity in Hebrew Bible and Talmud, the definition of Jewish charity is summarized in three aspects. This thesis will discuss the theories of Jewish charity and charity practice on the second aspect.Secondly, the improvement of theories of Jewish charity and the development of charity practice are discussed. This article focuses the development of Jewish charity in Biblical period, especially in Talmudic period. The first part arranges the laws on Jewish charity in Hebrew Bible, emphasizing the concept of tithe. Performing these laws is also the practice of Jewish charity. The second part discusses the expansion on theories of Jewish charity by Rabbis. This period is very important to the development of Jewish charity. Rabbis regulated the charity practice in detail. With the specific theories of Jewish charity, there appeared different charity organizations, for example, the use of kuppah which greatly influenced Europe. The third part is about Jewish charity in Middle Ages. There developed more practicalcharity organizations so as to adapt to the harsh living conditions. The fourth part discusses the development of Jewish philanthropy during modern times, which embodied social welfare and the elements of modern philanthropy.Lastly, the characteristics of Jewish charity and the reference given to Chinese philanthropy are summarized. Five characteristics of Jewish charity are concluded. And aiming at the disadvantages of Chinese philanthropy, several pieces of suggestion to solve them are put forward.