Maimonides Eight Levels of Tzedakah (Charity) in 10 Minutes

Everything Jewish - 10 Minutes at a Time · Aug 9, 2026 · 6m

Ascend the "Golden Ladder" of Jewish ethics in our episode on Maimonides' Eight Levels of Tzedakah. In his 12th-century legal masterpiece, the Mishneh Torah, the philosopher-physician Moses Maimonides (the Rambam) revolutionized the concept of "charity" by transforming it into "justice" (Tzedakah). He argued that the merit of a gift isn't just in the amount given, but in the intent of the giver and the dignity of the receiver. We'll unpack the ladder from the bottom up, starting with giving reluctantly, and climbing through stages where the giver and receiver are increasingly anonymous to one…