True Faith Is More than Belief: Having faith in the Lord and believing things that are true brings confirmation and His verification and validation. You will know that your belief is true. True faith transcends a wish. The word "hope" is also more than a wish. It is a powerful expectation somehow connected with Heaven and redemption.

"A fitting symbol of the Jews' desire for their own land, government and defense is the "accepted" national anthem Ha-Tikvah (‘The Hope’)." "At the Declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, Ha-Tikvah was sung at the opening ceremony . . . however, Ha-. Tikvah has never been given official status as a national anthem by a proclamation of the Knesset."

Festival of Hope: The great redemption festival for the Jews is Passover. At the Seder meal, parsley and lettuce or other green vegetables are dipped into salted water. The greens are associated with the hope of spring. Passover is in the spring as a memory of the past redemption and the hope of a future greater deliverance that comes from heaven. Latter-day Saints believe that the fulfilment of hope, the heaven-sent Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, was born in the spring – at Passover. His death, resurrection and subsequent atonement were also at Passover.

Charity–Result of Faith and Hope: Along with faith and hope comes charity. In Hebrew it is called zedakah or righteousness. Sometimes charity is called hesed, loving kindness. Charity is the energy that reflects the faith and hope of a person following God.

"Although the idea of charity and almsgiving is spread throughout the whole of the Bible, there is no special term for it. The rabbis of the Talmud, however, adopted the word (zedakah) for charity and it is used (but not exclusively so) throughout rabbinic literature in the sense of helping the needy by gifts. The word has since passed into popular usage and is almost exclusively used for charity. The term hesed (‘loving kindness’), which is used widely in the Bible, has taken on the meaning of physical aid, or lending money without interest."

Charity Is More than a Favor, it Is an Obligation:

"The word zedakah literally means ‘righteousness’ or ‘justice’; by their very choice of word the rabbis reveal a great deal of their attitude to the subject, for they see charity not as a favor to the poor but something to which they have a right, and the donor, an obligation. The importance the rabbis attached to the mitzvah of zedakah can be understood from Rabbi Assi who stated that ‘zedakah is as important as all the other commandments put together’ and from Rabbi Eleazar who expounded the verse ‘to do righteousness (zedakah) and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice’ (Proverbs 21:3) to mean that charity is greater than all the sacrifices."

How Much?

"To give a tenth of one's wealth to charity is considered to be a ‘middling’ virtue, to give a 20th or less is to be ‘mean’; but the rabbis decided that one should not give more than a fifth lest he become impoverished himself and dependent on charity." "The rabbis were especially concerned about the manner in which alms are to be dispensed. The prime consideration is that nothing be done that might shame the recipient. About one pious man it was related that if he met a man of good family who had become impoverished he would say, ‘I have heard that a legacy has been left to you in such a place; take this money in advance and pay me back later.’ When the man accepted it he then said to him, ‘It is a gift’."

Eight Ways of Giving:

"Maimonides lists eight ways of giving zedakah which are progressively more virtuous: to give . . . (1) but sadly; (2) less than is fitting, but in good humor; (3) only after having been asked to; (4) before being asked; (5) in such a manner that the donor does not know who the recipient is, (6) in such a manner that the recipient does not know who the donor is; and (7) in such a way that neither the donor nor the recipient knows the identity of the other." (8) Help the poor to rehabilitate themselves by lending them money, taking them into partnership, employing them, or giving them work, for in this way the purpose is achieved without any loss of self-respect at all."