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Free Exhibition

Presented By: University Library

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The Jewish Tradition of Tsedakah as Exemplified in Pushkes, Charity Donation Boxes

Pushke (charity donation box) Pushke (charity donation box)
Pushke (charity donation box)
This exhibit features an eclectic selection of Pushkes (פּושקעס) – the common Yiddish moniker for charity/donation boxes. In Judaism, dispensing of charity is not simply a monetary transaction. Rather, the act is a beautiful exemplar of an individual’s conscious choice to help another person, while also acknowledging the transience of material wealth and paying one’s good fortunes forward.

These Pushkes function as vessels that anonymize the donations within, stressing that the act of giving should not be done for acknowledgement. Instead, giving should signify a gesture of honest good will. Furthermore, the amalgam of wealth inside these boxes is comprised of the materiality and benevolence of an entire community.

צדקה תציל ממװת
Tsedakah tatsil mi-mavet
Charity Saves from Death
— 156b, Tractate Shabes, Babylonian Talmud

All items on display were donated by Constance Harris and are on loan from the Jewish Heritage Collection Dedicated to Mark and Dave Harris, Special Collections Library, University of Michigan Library—except where otherwise noted.
Pushke (charity donation box) Pushke (charity donation box)
Pushke (charity donation box)

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