Background
“And when you sell something to your fellow, or buy from the hand of your fellow, don't oppress each other” (Leviticus 25:14).
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel teaches, “To us a single act of injustice – cheating in business, exploitation of the poor—is slight; to the prophets, a disaster … to them, it is a catastrophe, a threat to the world.” (The Prophets, p. 4).
The highest level of tzedakah is for a person to assist those in need to become self-sufficient (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah 10:7-14).