That translation is useful, but it is not exact.
Tzedakah means more than charity
Chabad explains that tzedakah is commonly translated as charity but more literally means justice or righteousness. That difference is important because Jewish giving is not framed only as kindness beyond duty.
It is framed as something owed.
The practice treats giving as obligation
In this view, helping people in need is not a moral extra for generous people. It is part of what a just life demands.
That is why tzedakah has such staying power in Jewish communal culture. It is not only sentimental. It is normative.
The home and community both carry it
Chabad notes the role of the tzedakah box, or pushke, in Jewish homes. This domestic presence matters because it turns giving into a repeated habit rather than an occasional response to crisis.
At the same time, Jewish institutions, funds, and communal structures extend the same principle into public life.
Why it still matters
Tzedakah still matters because it resists the idea that wealth is purely private and that generosity is optional. Jewish tradition pushes in a harder direction: justice requires redistribution and responsibility.
The shortest accurate answer
Tzedakah is the Jewish practice of giving rooted in justice and righteousness, treating aid to others as obligation rather than optional generosity.