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There are four levels of tzedakah. First is one who is “your brother.” One’s family takes precedence in charity. Second is “your poor.” The poor citizens of one’s city are to be cared for before one accepts responsibility for the poor of another city. The third degree is “your needy.” He who is most needy is to be helped first. Last is “in your land,” the poor of Eretz Yisrael. The laws regarding charitable donations are unambiguous. One does not contribute according to his heart’s sentiments. Torah provides a prescribed manner and order for giving. The needy person or organization…

According to the Torah, the duty to provide for the poor rests equally upon the community as a whole and upon every individual member thereof. This obligation is an essential principle of the law of tzedaka (charity). The community at large and each individual member must cooperate in order to realize the goal set by the Torah. Those who seek to fulfill the mitzvah by contributing only to communal funds do not embody the spirit of Jewish “giving” which is encouraged by the Torah. Based upon the Torah’s admonishment of “do not harden your heart,” one may assume that Jewish…

 Rabbi Yaakov Neiman Zt”l states that this posuk should serve as a blueprint for every educator as he charts his path towards desseminating Torah values to Jewish children. For, just as every Jew should be aware that “I place Hashem constantly before me”, so too, should every educator reflect that he is instructing Hashem’s children. This awareness will enable him to maintain his patience and attention while transmitting Torah to Hashems’s children. Often we are lacking the compassion neccessary to transmit Torah values. Despite various differences among children in ability, aptitude, skill, and desire, their potential can be realized if…