The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism [Hardcover]

This book examines the origins of communal and institutional almsgiving in rabbinic Judaism.Charity is a central concept of Judaism and a hallmark of Jewish giving is to provide for the poor in collective and anonymous ways. This book examines the origins of these ideas in the foundational works of rabbinic Judaism, texts from the second to third centuries C.E.Charity is a central concept of Judaism and a hallmark of Jewish giving is to provide for the poor in collective and anonymous ways. This book examines the origins of these ideas in the foundational works of rabbinic Judaism, texts from the second to third centuries C.E.This book examines the origins of communal and institutional almsgiving in rabbinic Judaism. It undertakes a close reading of foundational rabbinic texts (Mishnah, Tosefta, Tannaitic Midrashim) and places their discourses on organized giving in their second to third century C.E. contexts. Gregg E. Gardner finds that Tannaim promoted giving through the soup kitchen (tamhui) and charity fund (quppa), which enabled anonymous and collective support for the poor. This protected the dignity of the poor and provided an alternative to begging, which benefited the community as a whole  poor and non-poor alike. By contrast, later Jewish and Christian writings (from the fourth to fifth centuries) would see organized charity as a means to promote their own religious authority. This book contributes to the study of Jews and Judaism, history of religions, biblical studies, and ethics.1. Introduction; 2. The poor and poverty in Roman Palestine; 3. From vessels to institutions; 4. Tamhui, the soup kitchen; 5. Quppa, the charity fund; 6. Charity with dignity; 7. The charity supervisor; 8. Conclusion: after the Tannaim. This book represents a very fine and fine-grained study of institutional charity in tannaitic literature. Its strengths are its intimate familiarity with the rabbinic primary texts and the secondary literature thereon, the clarity of its structulót