Reflections and Caritas

Well, my mistake. This should have gone up yesterday night or much much earlier this morning, but instead here I am, just having woken up and writing a blog post.

Day 49: Shabbat
This week really dragged on for me. It was a long, tiring week and I've been hard pressed to get any alone time other than sleep, so mentally I feel very cramped. I also had a tough time remember the values for each day, for some reason they didn't stick with me or resonate with me so I'm hoping the values for next week give me more to work with.

• The Jewish Ethics of Speech: What is Lashon Hara?: N/A
• Don't Pass on Negative Comments: N/A
• The Sin That No One Ever Acknowledges Committing: This is a problem for me with first impressions. If I don't like someone the first time I meet them, it's a very slow process for me to like them more. If I can start to disregard some negative first impressions, maybe I can work toward alleviating this sin from my life.
• When Confrontation Is Desirable: N/A
• "You Shall Not Ill-Treat Any...Orphan": N/A
• Why Refraining from Gossiping Is an Important Challenge: N/A

Day 50: Tzedaka Is More Than Charity

Today's value is all about remembering to give tzedaka. We are commanded to give a portion of our money every year to charity. Segue for a moment, the words charity and tzedaka don't come from the same root. We use charity to mean tzedaka for lack of a better term. Tzedaka comes from the Hebrew word "tzedek" which means justice. This contrats with charity which comes from the Latin "caritas" which means "from the heart".