3,215. Tzedakah Before Davening

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:15

Some great sages would give a prutah (a denomination of coin) to a needy person before prayer as per Psalms 17:15: “I will see Your face in righteousness.” (Righteousness = tzedek, the root of the word tzedakah, charity.)

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:16

Let’s say that a person has sons and daughters who have reached the age of majority and whom he is no longer required to support. If he supports them so that the boys can learn Torah and the girls can learn the correct path, this counts as tzedakah. The same is true of one who supports his parents. In fact, this is a significant form of charity because priority is based on the donor’s closeness to the recipient. If a person who feeds the needy and orphans at his table cries out to God, God will answer him and benefit him, as per Isaiah 58:9: “Then you will cry out and God will answer.”