Definition of Tzedakah (pronounced tsu-dah-kah)
Any student of linguistics will tell you that there is more to a word than just how it sounds. Tzedakah is an example of a word which encapsulates its philosophy, value and meanings in the very construction of the word. The word “tzedakah” is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. Thus, tzedakah cannot be merely translated to mean what we call in English “charity”. Charity is derived from the Latin word caritas, which means “love.” It is defined as giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. The word charity suggests a generous voluntary act by the wealthy for the poor and needy. In contrast, tzedakah, in the very way the word has been constructed, suggests that it is an act of justice to give to the needy, a
Maidah Ahmad - Canada