The lowest rung — giving only when asked, and with visible displeasure. Understanding why the Rambam includes this as a level at all.
The Rambam's Framework
In the tenth chapter of Hilchot Matanot Aniyim, the Rambam (Maimonides) lays out eight levels of tzedakah in ascending order of spiritual merit. This framework is one of the most influential pieces of Jewish ethical writing of the medieval period, and it has shaped how Jews think about giving for nearly a thousand years.
The eighth level — the lowest — is: "One who gives to the poor, but with sorrow." The Rambam is describing someone who gives only when asked, who gives visibly and perhaps audibly resentfully, whose face shows that they wish they did not have to give.
Why Is It Still a Level?