I've mentioned a time or two here before that I like to match my tzedakah (weekly and otherwise) with what's on my radar– environmental foundations on Tu BShevat, human rights organizations on Pesach and so on and so forth. But, to theme your tzedakah when there isn't a holiday to focus on can, at times, be daunting, as there are simply so many wonderful organizations to select from.
So, I like to turn to the weekly parsha for ideas. This week, there's a lot going on, so I thought I'd do a super-fast brainstorm of it for you. This week, we read of waaaay post-menopausal Sarah laughing with the suggestion that she's to give birth shortly. Maybe a little money to a Jewish infertility organization might be in order? In the third aliyah, we read about the citizens of Sodom trying to attack Lot's guests, which might suggest a well-placed donation to The Awareness Center's work to address sexual assault in our Jewish communities, or NY's Takanot Project. In the fifth aliyah, we see Hagar and Ishmael wandering the desert, banished and running out of water, which might suggest a nice tzedakah bit to help provide clean drinking water to people without access. In the sixth aliyah, Abraham plants an orchard and builds an inn, which could be a hint to give to organizations like Slow Food.
Tzedakah inspiration is all around us, and what better way to add another level of meaning to our giving than by connecting our actions with actions that stand out for us each week. With the wide-range of themes and issues covered in the Torah, and with our perspectives changing year-to-year, tying our tzedakah to the week's focus may not be a bad way to cover a lot of different areas of giving.