| The Tree of Life Shtender: Tzedakah Box
"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness (or charity) saves from death." – Proverbs 10:2
Hundreds of traditional charity boxes preserved from the past have the verse “charity saves from death†inscribed upon them; our Tzedakah box combines charity collection with the memorial candle for the first time in Jewish art.
The decorative carvings of fig leaves and fruits on the Tzedakah box allude to the Tree of Knowledge, which Rashi tells us was a fig tree; eating from the tree of knowledge was what brought mortality into the world.
Tzedakah – the Hebrew word means “righteousness†or “justice,†not pity or commiseration. In Jewish understanding, our wealth does not belong to us, but is merely ours in trust. Our Provider entrusts us with wealth in order to do the “right thing†and distribute it justly throughout the world.
Thus, giving to charity is not a mere act of individual generosity, but a requirement of righteousness, which places us in a pivotal role between God and our fellow man. The most sacred and defining elements of the Jewish world-view flow from this centrality of relationship. The Jewish model of Tzedakah is an ongoing, caring, loving relationship of responsibility which applies to all areas of life.
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