"But teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah can avert the evil decree."
Tzedakah is an obligation. Tzedakah comes from the word for justice or righteousness, tzedek, as in “Justice, justice [tzedek] you shall pursue.” (Deuteronomy 16:20) Fundamentally, tzedakah means doing acts of justice or righteousness. And this doing, as the rabbis were well aware of in our economically unjust world, entails giving money to those in need. "Jews are to give at least 10 percent of their annual net income to tzedakah." (Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, “Laws Concerning Gifts for the Poor,” 7:5)
Here's a question: Why, out of all the other obligations that could have been listed with teshuvah and tefillah, is tzedakah singled out during the Days of Awe, the Days of Turning?
Tzedakah is not an addition to the life of faith. It is not just another obligation. It is the heart of the way of life we call Judaism. Without tzedakah there is no Judaism and no turning to the Way of Life. The rabbis teach: “Tzedakah is equal to all the other commandments combined.” (Talmud, Bava Bathra 9b).
When we say "tzedakah" in this threefold litany, therefore, we are using shorthand: We mean following the teaching of the Torah, the Way of Life. Giving to those in need is not singled out from the other mitzvot; rather, it is the part that stands for the whole--to act as the image of God, reflecting God's deeds of compassion for the poor, feeding, sheltering, protecting, and defending those who are most vulnerable among us.
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