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I need a recommendation for a worthy charitable cause

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

  

Library » Mitzvot » Charity | Subscribe | What is RSS?

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Wow, that is a tough question! There are so many commendable charities -- both religious and humanitarian, that I don't know where to start. I would obviously be amiss if I wouldn't recommend that you support our site, which 24/6 offers help to so many.

When considering charitable causes, local charities should take precedence over others. The following is from the Talmud:1 "[If you have an option of giving charity to] a Jew or a Gentile -- the Jew takes precedence. A pauper or a rich person [who is in need of a loan] -- the poor person comes first. The poor of your family and other poor -- family first! The local needy and the needy of another city, the locals take precedence."

One of the greatest forms of charity is making Torah knowledge available to others
Here's another thought:

One of the greatest forms of charity is making Torah knowledge available to others. Our Sages ascribe the verse "Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever,"2   to one who "writes books [of Torah] and lends them to the public." His righteousness endures, just as his books continuously educate the masses.

Today this righteousness is achieved through donating Jewish books to Torah libraries.

Footnotes

  • 1. Bava Metziah 71a.
  • 2. Psalms 112:3.

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Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.
Talmud
Usually referring to the Babylonian edition, it is a compilation of Rabbinic law, commentary and analysis compiled over a 600 year period (200 BCE - 427 CE). Talmudic verse serves as the bedrock of all classic and modern-day Torah-Jewish literature.