Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Tzedakah Defined

Sedaka is a fascinating idea and let's see it immediately what is the English for Sedaka there isn't an English F sedoka you ask 100 Jews what is the English F sedoka 50 will say charity 50 will say justice and that's exactly right because sadaka means both charity and Justice the only trouble is in English something can't be charity and Justice at the same time here's why supposing I give you $1,000 I may do so for two different reasons reason one I owe it to you reason two I don't owe it to you I just think you need $1,000 and out of the kindness of my heart I give it to you if I give it to you because I owe it to you that is Justice if I give it to you not because I owe it but because you need it that's charity so a thing can be either Justice or charity but not both in English they cannot live together they're like magnets that drive each other apart in Judaism they're bonded with superglue and they are bonded in that one concept Saka how come the Hebrew language can do something the English language can't the answer is very simple in Judaism what we possess we don't ultimately own everything we have is ultim ultimately God's and God merely lends it to us gives it to us in trust and one of the conditions of that trust is that we share it with people who have less than we do and that is why in Judaism charity is Justice and Justice takes the form of Charity so there is a concept so important in this world where people some people are unbelievably Rich so many people in the world are incredibly poor unable almost to have food shelter medical facilities and somehow we want to say to people yes that's charity but it's also Justice and for that you need the word Sedaka that is one word that has the power to change the world