24. Rambam's 8 Levels of Tzedakah (Charity)
Maimonides defines eight levels in giving charity (tzedakah), each one higher than the proceeding one.
On an ascending level, they are as follows:
  8. When donations are given grudgingly.
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 7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
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 6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.
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  5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.
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 4. Donations when the recipient is aware of the donor's identity, but the donor still doesn't know the specific identity of the recipient.
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  3. Donations when the donor is aware to whom the charity is being given, but the recipient is unaware of the source.
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   2. Giving assistance in such a way that the giver and recipient are unknown to each other. Communal funds, administered by responsible people are also in this category.
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  1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.