The Charity of Business

Nonprofits are seeing an alarming drop in funding and increased demand for help this year, setting the stage for a complete shakeup of the sector in 2010.

In the Torah Ztadaka/Charity is called HaMitzvah/The Commandment since the concept of Ztadaka is a unifying theme of all the 613 Commandments given to the Jewish People—the Chosen People, chosen to do the Commandments. The institutionalism of Ztadaka has served an expedient end—to make non-profits big business.

The Rabbis originally opposed an institution replacing the common obligation of the individual with an expedient way of fulfilling one’s monetary obligations—giving a piece of their pie to the poor. Eventually, even the Rabbis gave in and started their own institution called religion—a concept unknown to the Jewish People, previously.

The word Ztadaka/Charity comes from Ztadik/Righteous indicating that the act of charity is only a part of the obligation while the remainder rest in the heart and the mind of the giver. It is the intention and the face to face interaction that fulfills the obligation.