I'm Thinking: The wrong type of tzedakah

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The High Holidays coincide with the Muslim holiday of Ramadan this year. Judaism follows the lunar calendar and adds a month to compensate for leap years. The Hijrah, the Islamic calendar of Islam, follows the moon but does not add the extra time so Jewish and Muslim holidays are not always celebrated at the same time of year. In other words, according to strict Islamic tradition, a person ages faster in Islam than they do in Judaism or in Christianity.
Like Elul, Ramadan is a month dedicated to introspection and soul searching. In Judaism, it is called t’shuvah.
Ramadan is a month long fast. Followers fast during the day and eat at night, after sundown. The month concludes with a three day feast called Eid el Fitr. Eid means festival and fitr means to break the fast. It is incumbent upon Muslims to give sadaqah during al Fitr. Sadaqah, in Arabic, is derived from the exact root as the Hebrew word tzedakah. Sedaqah is one of the five pillars of Islam and adherents give charity so that everyone, rich or poor, can celebrate with an end-of-month festival. They also give gifts to family and friends.
This past week al Qaeda, arguably among the most devout followers of Islamic tradition, promised to deliver a Ramadan present to the world, their own version of sedaqah.
There is no doubt that Islam emerged from Judaism. And there is no denying that both religions share remarkable teachings, especially in their rejection of paganism. When Mohammed began his movement he was responding to the pagan environment around him. The prophet rejected pagan traditions. At the same time, he was enormously influenced by the monotheistic Jewish tribes who were also rejecting the pagan values of Arabia. In his travels Mohammed learned much from the Jewish communities he visited and borrowed from their traditions.
Originally, the Islamic fast lasted for a single day, as does Yom Kippur. Originally, Islam prayed toward Jerusalem not toward Mecca. And originally, Islamic prayers were held three times a day, not five as they are until today.
The differences came about after Mohammed approached Jewish tribes and asked them to join him. The Jews of Arabia flatly rejected Mohammed. In response, Mohammed fundamentally altered the relationship between Judaism and Islam. Instead of following in similar traditions, Mohammed one-upped the Jews. Your fast is one day long, ours is one month, you pray three times a day, we pray five, etc.
There has evolved in Islam a stream of extremism that is gaining more and more of a stronghold. Historically, Islamic extremism had been forced off to the side, but it is now finding a more central voice in religion and in politics. Al Qaeda is one of those voices.
And despite the teachings of sadaqah and introspection and the imperative to account for one’s deeds, a group of Islamic leaders interpreted the Ramadan period as an essential time to fight for Islamic honor. The belief is that a person who dies fighting in the defense of Islam during Ramadan receives extra special rewards in the afterlife.
The present which al Qaeda promised us is assumed to be a public address by a senior leader and a planned terrorist attack of large proportions. Not t’shuvah, not tefila, just the al Qaeda version of sadaqah.
Micah D. Halpern is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Read his latest book THUGS. He maintains The Micah Report at www.micahhalpern.com
By Micah D. Halpern Issue of September 11,  2009 / 22 Elul 5769 The High Holidays coincide with the Muslim holiday of Ramadan this year. Judaism follows the lunar calendar and adds a month to compensate for leap years. The Hijrah, the Islamic calendar of Islam, follows the moon but does not add the extra time so Jewish and Muslim holidays are not always celebrated at the same time of year. In other words, according to strict Islamic tradition, a person ages faster in Islam than they do in Judaism or in Christianity. Like Elul, Ramadan is a month dedicated to introspection and soul searching. In Judaism, it is called t’shuvah. Ramadan is a month long fast. Followers fast during the day and eat at night, after sundown. The month concludes with a three day feast called Eid el Fitr. Eid means festival and fitr means to break the fast. It is incumbent upon Muslims to give sadaqah during al Fitr. Sadaqah, in Arabic, is derived from the exact root as the Hebrew word tzedakah. Sedaqah is one of the five pillars of Islam and adherents give charity so that everyone, rich or poor, can celebrate with an end-of-month festival. They also give gifts to family and friends. This past week al Qaeda, arguably among the most devout followers of Islamic tradition, promised to deliver a Ramadan present to the world, their own version of sedaqah. There is no doubt that Islam emerged from Judaism. And there is no denying that both religions share remarkable teachings, especially in their rejection of paganism. When Mohammed began his movement he was responding to the pagan environment around him. The prophet rejected pagan traditions. At the same time, he was enormously influenced by the monotheistic Jewish tribes who were also rejecting the pagan values of Arabia. In his travels Mohammed learned much from the Jewish communities he visited and borrowed from their traditions. Originally, the Islamic fast lasted for a single day, as does Yom Kippur. Originally, Islam prayed toward Jerusalem not toward Mecca. And originally, Islamic prayers were held three times a day, not five as they are until today. The differences came about after Mohammed approached Jewish tribes and asked them to join him. The Jews of Arabia flatly rejected Mohammed. In response, Mohammed fundamentally altered the relationship between Judaism and Islam. Instead of following in similar traditions, Mohammed one-upped the Jews. Your fast is one day long, ours is one month, you pray three times a day, we pray five, etc. There has evolved in Islam a stream of extremism that is gaining more and more of a stronghold. Historically, Islamic extremism had been forced off to the side, but it is now finding a more central voice in religion and in politics. Al Qaeda is one of those voices. And despite the teachings of sadaqah and introspection and the imperative to account for one’s deeds, a group of Islamic leaders interpreted the Ramadan period as an essential time to fight for Islamic honor. The belief is that a person who dies fighting in the defense of Islam during Ramadan receives extra special rewards in the afterlife. The present which al Qaeda promised us is assumed to be a public address by a senior leader and a planned terrorist attack of large proportions. Not t’shuvah, not tefila, just the al Qaeda version of sadaqah. Micah D. Halpern is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Read his latest book THUGS. He maintains The Micah Report at www.micahhalpern.com