Geography-based giving in Jewish tradition

Abstract

The biblical and rabbinic Jewish mandates on charitable giving require that the non-Jews of one’s community be provided for alongside the Jewish poor. A decentralized model of giving, in which Jews give irst within their localized community and then centripetally expand their giving outward, is the enduring model in the classical Jewish tradition. Funds for poor people living throughout the world should therefore not be drawn from a small number of select centralized organizations, but rather from local communities. More recently, however, leading Jewish thinkers have advocated for a different paradigm in which giving is directed toward those with the greatest needs, regardless of location and religion. Having established that Jewish tradition places geographic location over religious afiliation, the question remains whether we may, upon returning to our original texts in Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 15 and 24, interpret them in terms of protecting one’s geographic community rather than one’s religious kinsmen. If so, then רע ך , your neighbor , in Deuteronomy 15:7 and 15:11 should be understood not in light of neighboring Israelites but in light of neighboring people—regardless of the religious group with which they afiliate. Finally, the biblical paradigm of centripetal giving must be reevaluated in light of the past century’s rapid globalization and the increased opportunities to address economic crises occurring throughout the world. (Conclusion)