Is צדקה simply the Jewish word for charity—or does that assumption already conceal a philosophical mistake?

In this seminar, we use Humpty Dumpty to enter Wittgenstein’s radical account of language, grammar, and practice. A movement does not contain checkmate. A sound does not contain speech. A transfer of money does not contain צדקה. Before saying that צדקה and charity are “the same action interpreted differently,” we must first ask: the same according to what criteria?

Wittgenstein’s claim that “essence is expressed by grammar” challenges the idea that words merely label pre-existing ontological categories. Grammar does not simply tell us what name to attach to a completed object or action; it helps articulate what kind of object or action is in question, what counts as the same, and what counts as correct or mistaken.

This ha ...