Our Sages said the following lesson about tzedaka: “Rav Yehoshua taught: More than the wealthy person does for the poor, the poor does for the wealthy person.” (Vayikra Rabbah Behar 34:8)

That is, the poor man gives a wealthy man a mitzvah opportunity and also helps him improve his middot. This means that tzedaka creates a relationship where everyone gives. We can also see this in the mathematics of patterns.

I recommend reading this Mitzvah Math column with a copy of the Alef-Bet. One source is a perek of Tehillim that follows the order of the Alef-Bet. One is Perek 34, an extra psalm we say on Shabbat morning. It is on page 376 in an Artscroll Siddur.

1. The word Tzedakah is spelled Tzadi—Dalet-Kuf—Heh. Start from the beginning of the Alef-Bet with Alef. How many letters do you count until you reach Dalet and then Heh? Now start at the end of the Alef-Bet (that is with Tav) and count backward. How many letters do you count until you reach the Kuf and then Tzadi? Do you see a connection?
2. The Torah commands us specifically to help a righteous convert. The Hebrew word for convert, Ger, is spelled with the two letters Gimel and Reish. Can you see a pattern with the letters of Ger?
3. There are words that have a giving pattern built into them. An example is the word V’natnu which appears with the giving of the half-shekel (Shemot 30:12). It is spelled Vav-Nun-Tav-Nun-Vav. What is the giving and giving back pattern in that word?

Solutions:

1. Daled is the fourth letter of the Alef-Bet and Heh is the fifth. Kuf is the fourth letter from the end of the Alef-Bet and Tzadi is the fifth. So the word “Tzedaka” is balanced. That is, it has letters from both ends of the Alef-Bet at equal distances. What we give, another person gives back.
2. Gimel is the third letter of the Alef-Bet and Reish is the third from the end. This is another example. Giving to someone in need helps the giver as well.
3. The word “V’natnu” is the same whether you read it forward or backward. This is another example of how a Hebrew word for Tzekada tells us about the power of giving.

Shabbat Shalom.

Ari Blinder is a math educator living in Highland Park, New Jersey. He is the owner of Math for the Masses, an innovative tutoring and consulting company. Please visit www.math4masses.com for fun activities and helpful worksheets. Ari can be reached at [email protected]. Never think you are “not a math person.” You are very much one already, but no one has shown you how.