6163 – The Blessing of Giving Tzedaka?
Q. Rabbi Shlit”a. I always wondered; most mitzvah acts we do are preceded by a blessing. I always wondered why when we give Tzedaka, we don’t recite a bracha; after all it is a most important mitzva?
A. Some Chasidic sources shared a humorous explanation from the Chassidic Masters: Were a blessing required before giving charity, then one might get overly caught up in the preparations—immersing in the mikvah, meditating upon the proper intentions, etc.—to the extent that by the time they finish, who knows what will have happened to the poor person who needed the food or money.
See next question.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Shlomo Miller, Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a, and Horav Dovid Bartfeld consulting, Horav Hagaon Rav Yitzchak Berkowitz Shlit’a
Reviewed by: Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
Published: November 6, 2026