3,182. The Mitzvah of Tzedaka

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 7:1

There is a Torah obligation to give charity to needy Jews based on what’s appropriate for the recipient if the donor has the means, based on Deuteronomy 15:5: “You shall surely open your hand to him.” Leviticus 25:35-36 teaches: “You shall support him – the convert and the native-born – and he shall live with you,” followed by: “And your brother shall live with you.”

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 7:2

If someone sees a needy person asking for charity and diverts his eyes and doesn’t give to him, he violates a Torah prohibition, as per Deuteronomy 15:7: “Do not harden your heart or close your hand against your needy brother.”