While it may not seem intuitive to connect tzedakah and Shabbat, the idea of tzedakah —that the Jewish people are commanded to behave righteously — is intrinsically linked to the practice of Shabbat, stopping on the seventh day.

At its core, tzedakah is more than charitable giving, although giving is a huge part of its meaning. Tzedakah is about the tension between privilege and action, the value of our money and our time, and the notion that we are in a very real way connected to the most vulnerable people in our society and in the world. There may be no better place than the Shabbat dinner table to consider the Other, to reflect on how and why we give, and to discuss the impact that our actions have in the world.