RIGHTEOUS!

בס"ד

29 Tishrei

The word "tzedaqah" in Hebrew is often referring to "charity". To give tzedaqah (or tsedakah) is to donate money, in the mundane sense of the expression, or to give of your time, resources, etc in the general sense. But the root of the word, Tzadi-Dalet-Quf, has a broader attitude.

The consonants Tz-D-Q mean the following:
To be right, be just; apologise; vindicate, justify.

As we are commanded by Devarim/Deuteronomy 16:20: "Tzedeq, tzedeq tir'dof - Justice, justice you shall pursue."
It is in this spirit, & in recognition that I need to cling more closely to this mitzvah, that I have added some charitable links to my right side-bar under the heading "Good Causes I support". I have taken these on as my own responsibility, giving change to street folks not being enough equalisation to bring into this world. Please click on these links (I do not receive any payment for this) to further explore acts of justice which we are all given the opportunity for. I will slowly be adding more links, as I have the opportunity to look into different tzedaqah chances.

So from this we learn that to perform an act of charity is to do an act of justice. To make something right. To be kind.

The letter Tzadi has the same root as this word "tzedaqah", & has a gematrial value: 90
Midrash on this holy symbol tell us that Tzadi was the first letter formed by The Holy One, for "Deeds of giving are the foundation of the world." Tzedeq, "justice".

Tzadi comes to us in the shape of a Mystic bent in humble prayer, arms extended and hands raised. According to our tradition, the only time of the year we take this position is during the Aleynu of musaf, the afternoon service, on Yom Kipur. The Final Tzadi, Tzadi Sofit, is standing tall with arms raised in joy for having his/her act of devotion accepted and answered - whether the response is "Yes" or "No". Aye, there's the rub!

What is a Tzadiq/Tzodeqet (upright person)? It is usually translated into English as a "perfect" or "righteous" individual. A Tzadiq is one who is present in every moment, whose consciousness is such that s/he is able to make correct choices and act appropriately in any given situation. If s/he does make a mistake, s/he rectifies it and learns from the experience. Proverbs 25:26 compares the Tzadiq to a spring of water, which, even if it becomes polluted sometimes, eventually recovers its purity. Not a Perfect One, but One Perfecting.