Is tzedakah only for Jews, or does giving to a non-Jewish organization count too? Can you give to any cause, and how do you analyze whether an organization is a proper place to give? Is giving to a yeshiva the highest tzedakah? And the Rambam lists 8 levels of tzedakah – what do they actually mean in practice?
Tzedakah – who counts, and how to vet an organization?
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This question is almost like asking to learn the whole Torah on one foot. Rabbi Akiva said, “ואהבת לרעך כמוך זה כלל גדול בתורה,” loving your fellow as yourself is a great principle of the Torah. The details of tzedakah are enormous.
We support Jews, and we also support non-Jews. Some of the restrictions you find in older halachic sources are specifically discussing ovdei avodah zarah (AKUM), the pagan idol-worshipping societies of that period, not simply “anyone who isn’t Jewish.” And Chazal themselves say that we support the non-Jewish poor together with the Jewish poor, mipnei darkei shalom, (and that was referring to AKUM). In today’s world, I would certainly not hesitate to give tzedakah to a worthy non-Jewish person or cause.
The basic rule of priorities is also very natural: charity begins close to home. If your child, parent, sibling, or other close family member needs help, they come first. Then your community, your neighborhood, your city, and outward from there. If you don’t personally know someone who needs assistance, then of course you can give through an organization.
But investigate the organization. How much actually reaches the people it claims to help? How much disappears into salaries, fundraising, administration, and overhead? Is it run honestly and effectively? Unfortunately, there is plenty of abuse in charitable organizations, including religious ones.
And no, I would not say automatically that giving to a yeshiva is the “highest” form of tzedakah. It may be an excellent cause, but the Rambam’s highest level is actually helping someone become self-sufficient: giving him a job, a loan, a partnership, or some other way that he will no longer need charity.
The Rambam’s eight levels are really teaching one basic idea: the better form of tzedakah is the one that preserves the recipient’s dignity, reduces embarrassment, and ultimately helps him stand on his own feet. You have to look at the real people and circumstances in front of you, not simply at the name printed on the charity box.