Tzedakah, [is] usually mistranslated as "charity" but, literally, "justice/righteousness." Not only out of the goodness of our hearts, but because it is our obligation, we give tzedakah, we share what we have with those in need. Be it our material resources or the work of our hands, giving tzedakah means that we provide food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, education for the illiterate, hope for the downtrodden, because it is the sacred responsibility of every human being to care about and for every other human being. We give tzedakah because it is the right thing to do.
— Wayne Dosick, Soul Judaism