Why Jews Give in Multiples of 18
You have probably seen it at every simchah, every fundraiser, every tzedakah appeal. The amounts come in multiples of 18: $18, $36, $54, $180. People raise a glass and say “l’chaim.” But where does this come from? And why does it matter so much?
The answer sits in two Hebrew letters. Chai (חי) means “life.” The letters ches (ח) and yud (י) carry a numerical value of 18 in gematria (the system that gives each Hebrew letter a number). So when a Yid gives $18 or any multiple of it, they are not just writing a check. They are sending a message: this gift carries life.
The pasuk that captures this most deeply is Devarim 30:19, where Moshe Rabbeinu tells Klal Yisrael: “U’vacharta bachaim”, choose life. That one phrase binds together the meaning of 18 in Hebrew with the act of giving. To give chai is to choose life, for yourself and for someone else.
Before You Learn This
Before you read this pasuk and give tzedakah in its spirit, take a moment. Quiet your thoughts. Think of who you are giving for, or what you are asking Hashem to bring into your life. Then speak to Him simply:
Ribono Shel Olam, I am giving tzedakah today in a multiple of chai, in a multiple of life, because I believe that every act of giving opens a gate of blessing. Please accept this tzedakah as a merit for those I love. As You told us through Moshe Rabbeinu, “choose life,” I am choosing life right now, for myself, for my family, and for those in need. Elokah d’Meir aneni.
If giving tzedakah, add:
In the zechus of the tzedakah I am giving for Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, may this gift of chai bring life and blessing. Ribono Shel Olam, I am caring for Your children in Eretz Yisrael. Please watch over mine.
Devarim 30:19: The Full Pasuk
הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ
Ha'idoisi vochem hayoim es hashamayim v'es ho'oretz, hachaim v'hamoves nasati l'fonecho, habrachah v'hakloloh, u'vocharto bachaim l'ma'an tichyeh atoh v'zarecho.
Ha'idoti vakhem hayom et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz, hachaim vehamavet natati lefanekha, haberakha vehaklelala, uvacharta bachaim lema'an tichyeh ata vezar'ekha.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, so that you and your offspring may live.
This pasuk comes near the close of Moshe Rabbeinu’s great final address to Klal Yisrael in his final teachings before his death. He will not cross into Eretz Yisrael. And with everything he says in these closing words, he says this: choose life. When we choose life, Hashem brings life to us and to our children.
What These Words Mean for You
U’vocharto bachaim “Choose life.”
Two words. That is all Moshe needed. Choosing is itself an act. When you decide to give tzedakah, when you decide to daven, when you decide to reach out to someone in need, you are already choosing life. This is why the meaning of 18 in Hebrew runs so deep. Chai is not just a number. It is a choice you make, every single day.
Hachaim v’hamoves nasati l’fonecho “I have put before you life and death.”
Hashem does not hide the stakes. Moshe lays it out plainly: life and death, blessing and curse, both stand before you. Sforno reads this as a real choice placed in a person’s hands. The ability to bring blessing into the world is not far away. It is right there in front of you. Every time you give in a multiple of chai, you are reaching for the life side of that choice.
Habrachah v’hakloloh “The blessing and the curse.”
Moshe pairs blessing with life and curse with death. When you give tzedakah, you set blessing into motion. The money leaves your hand and becomes food on someone’s table, sefarim in a beis midrash, care for a family that has nothing. That is what brachah looks like in the real world. You choose it.
L’ma’an tichyeh atoh v’zarecho “So that you and your children may live.”
This is the promise. Choose life and it flows forward, not only to you but to your children and the generations that follow. The meaning of 18 in Hebrew touches this deeply. When you give $18 at a bris, at a bar mitzvah, at a wedding, you are saying: I want life and brachah for this person and for the generations that come after them.
How to Live This Teaching
This pasuk is part of the Torah reading for Parshas Nitzavim, which we hear every year close to Rosh Hashanah. But there is no reason to wait to say it. You can say these words any time you are about to give tzedakah or any time you need to remind yourself what choosing life looks like.
Set your kavanah before giving tzedakah. Think about who or what you are awaiting a yeshuah for. A loved one who is sick. A child starting a new chapter. A family member who needs parnassah. Giving tzedakah alongside this tefillah deepens it. You are not just saying “choose life.” You are doing it. Tefillah is the heart reaching up, and tzedakah is the hand reaching out. Together they rise before Hashem in the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. After saying the pasuk, you may add: Elokah d’Meir aneni!
Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (18a–18b) recounts how the sister-in-law of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness was taken captive by the Romans and placed in grave danger. Rabbi Meir traveled to rescue her, bribing the guard to save her with a promise that if he was ever endangered for helping, he should say: “Elokah d’Meir aneini” — “God of Meir, answer me.”
The guard eventually faced execution for releasing her, but when he cried out those words, he was miraculously saved. The Gemara presents this as a powerful example of the zechus of Rabbi Meir in bringing miraculous salvation.
Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. The talmidei chachamim at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias daven for those who reach out. The charity supports Torah scholars and the poor in Eretz Yisrael, families who depend on the generosity of Yidden around the world. When you give $18, or $36, or $180, you are choosing life for them. And you are asking Hashem to choose life for you.
Give Chai — Give Life
Frequently Asked Questions about the Meaning of Chai in Tzedakah
The Hebrew word chai (חי) means "life," and its two letters add up to 18 in gematria (numerical value). Giving in multiples of 18 is a way of saying: I am sending life and brachah with this gift. Gifts and donations in these denominations is prevalent in Jewish giving, found at weddings, bar mitzvahs, and tzedakah appeals everywhere.
In gematria, ches (ח) equals 8 and yud (י) equals 10. Together they spell chai, “life,” and equal 18. This is why the number has such deep meaning in Jewish life. Giving in multiples of 18 became a meaningful way to symbolize a tefillah and commitment for increased life, blessing, and continuity for oneself and for others.
Devarim 30:19 contains the Torah’s charge to ‘choose life.’ The common custom of giving tzedakah in multiples of 18 draws on the word chai , ‘life.’ While that custom is symbolic rather than a direct derivation from this verse, it powerfully echoes the Torah’s call to bring life and support to others.
It is a minhag, a custom, not a strict halachic requirement. There is no minimum or maximum for tzedakah that must follow the number 18. But the custom of giving in increments of 18 is beloved across all communities because it connects every act of giving to the value of life itself.
Rabbi Meir was one of the greatest Tannaim. The Gemara ( Avodah Zarah 18a-18b ) tells how his tefillah rescued his captive sister-in-law from the Romans when there was no other way. Giving tzedakah in his zechus is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the merit of this tzaddik and your act of chesed. Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities supports talmidei chachamim and families in Eretz Yisrael.
A Brachah for Life
Chai is not just 18. It is the choice Moshe placed before us, the choice that every Yid makes every time they open their hand and give.
May the tzedakah you give carry life wherever it goes. May it reach families in Eretz Yisrael who have nothing, and may the brachah come back to you and to everyone you love. May you always be among those who choose life, who choose blessing, who choose to give. And may Hashem, who sees every gift and hears every tefillah, answer you with chaim, with shalom, and with everything your heart needs.
You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost. They will daven for you and your loved ones by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.
