Do Noahides Need to Give Charity?
It is stated in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 56b) that a gentile who observes the seven commandments is obligated to give charity.
Basically, Noahides are obligated to all the commandments that were given to Abraham. We learn from Genesis 18:19: "And they shall keep the way of G-d to do charity and justice". And from the verse "And he gave him a tenth of everything", Abraham gave a tenth of everything he won in a war to Melchizedek. Therefore, a Noahide is also commanded to give charity. Preferably, a Noahide should make an effort to give approximately 10% of his or her net profit to charity. However, he or she is not obliged to do so.
A person's poor relatives precede the poor who are not his relatives, the poor of his city precedes the poor of another city, and charity to a poor woman precedes charity to a poor man. Charity for idol worship houses is prohibited.
Charity must not be ignored. If we see a destitute person, it is our duty to make an effort and give him charity. There will never be any harm from giving charity and it has the virtue of increasing one's earnings. This commandment is also an expression of faith and trust in G-d who gives us everything we have.
There is also a way of spiritual charity. When there are people who are far from believing in one G-d and keeping the seven commandments. Any action that will bring them to accept the seven commandments is considered spiritual charity.
Brought By Rabbi Moshe Bernestein
Rabbi Moshe Bernestein is a writer and a Community Rabbi in Netanya, Israel. He believes in making connections between the Jewish People and the Noahides worldwide in order to share and enhance the knowledge of the Torah's Universal Code for Humanity and fulfil Isaiah's Prophecy 11:9 " And the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the oceans".
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.
NoahideAcademy.org's copyright policy.
What a beautiful connection with Abraham. I didn't know that one yet. Thank you very much.