Tag Archive: overview

The Tzedakah Box: A religious obligation and tradition

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in Diaspora communities Tags: ,

By Sue Kelley

Traditional Jewish homes commonly have a home charity box, a tzedakah, for collecting coins to give to the poor. Tzedakah is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity – giving aid, assistance, and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes – but, the nature of tzedakah is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, or giving the poor their due.

While Western style philanthropy is rooted in Christian traditions and is seen as an individual right, Read the rest of this entry >>

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The Evolution of Tzedakah

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in Diaspora communities Tags: ,

By Meg Chalmers

“Tzedakah” is the Hebrew word meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. Tzedkah is often mistranslated to the English word “charity” , meaning giving without excepting any gratification and doing out of compassion. Tzedkah however , is an obligation and law found in the Torah to give : “ … set aside a tenth of all your produce..and give it to the alien, the fatherless and the widow..” (Deuteronomy 26:12).

Historically, Tzedakah was used intended primarily for agricultural giving. Read the rest of this entry >>

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Koha – The Maori Gift

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in Australia Tags: , ,

By Katherine Vanker

The Maori language is a Polynesian language that is closely related to Cook Island Maori, Tahitian and Hawaiian . According to the 1996 Census, the Maori language is spoken by approximately 150,000 New Zealanders . The name Maori originally meant “the local people” or “the original people” . This distinguished them from the European settlers and the new arrivals . Today they are known as the indigenous people of New Zealand.

Traditions and social customs are very important to the Maori . Read the rest of this entry >>

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Buddhism and Enlightenment

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in South East Asia Tags: , ,

By Anna Marie Kolodziej

Philanthropy has been a prominent act throughout history, more specifically in the different cultures of the world. In the society today there are different religions and cultures which include traditions of giving; one in particular is called Buddhism. In the Buddhist tradition it is believed that humans are all interconnected in life and that we are continuously receiving generosity from others. Read the rest of this entry >>

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The Story of Vessantara

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in South East Asia Tags: , ,

By Kim Collins

Buddhists traditions of south East Asia revere the story of Vessantara. In Buddhism there are ten (or six depending on the tradition) main virtues. The first virtue is the paramita (or perfection) of dana (generosity) (Ratnasinghe, 1). The paramita of dana is extolled in the tale of Vessantara.

Vessantara, the incarnation before Siddhartha, was born into a royal family. His birth caused the gods to take note of his generous character, Read the rest of this entry >>

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The Japanese Philanthropy

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in Japan and Korea Tags: ,

By Afua Bonsu

Philanthropy as we all know, it is a well known practice for the western culture, and thanks to the media we see more of these effort play important roles in our community and in people’s lives. Through our course discussions and personal perspective, I barely see a developed country like Japan strong involvements in these matters. This is why I chose to research on the Japanese culture and their ways and views on giving and charity.

Philanthropy involves free will to give and help others. The Japanese according to Baron (2000), are group oriented and therefore their view on philanthropy is towards who they know as to whom they do not know. Companies take care of their Read the rest of this entry >>

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Philanthropy in Confucianism

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in China and Taiwan Tags: ,

By Vanessa Wong

Confucius had a great impact on developing Asian culture. Born in 550 B.C. in northern China, his family was of modest background and this was partially due to his father’s death at a early age . At the age of 50, Confucius was appointed to a political position and where he witnessed corruption and the downfall of their system. After leaving this post five years later, he travelled for thirteen years Read the rest of this entry >>

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Philanthropy in Confucianism

sduncan post on January 30th, 2013
Posted in China and Taiwan Tags: ,

By Jessica Lamhonwah

The words ren and yi represent the fundamental moral values in Confucianism. Although varied in translation, the word ren means benevolence. Ren is the consideration of one human being for another and is what ties individual together. According to Confucian thought, ren is instilled in human nature. In Confucianisn, Ren is regarded as the highest merit that can be achieved by an individual. Read the rest of this entry >>

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Hinduism: The Duty of Giving

sduncan post on January 29th, 2013
Posted in India Tags: ,

By Ashley Weeres

Webster’s dictionary defines charity as; “a spiritual love for others” or “generosity to the needy” or “alms given to the poor”. When many of us think of charity we think of foundations and charities such as the Red Cross or The Salvation Army. We think of giving to charity as a generous act, and we praise those who choose to do so. This is a Westernized view of charity and this ideology of charity has become quite prominent; its influences can be seen worldwide.

Canadian society is considered as mosaic society, Read the rest of this entry >>

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Hindu Philanthropy compared to Western Philanthropy

sduncan post on January 29th, 2013
Posted in India Tags: ,

By Abby Rolland

Western culture has come to know philanthropy and giving as acts of generosity bestowed upon others less fortunate by those who personally choose to make a contribution to society. The intention of the charitable act is simply to better their community and perhaps improve themselves as individuals in a positive, altruistic way. Those seeking to make such charitable donations, be it personal time or financial aid, Read the rest of this entry >>

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