Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 6
Charity Saves from Death
62) “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faith.” Happy is a man who does good of his own, since he awakens, good, meaning Yesod, in the assembly of Israel, Malchut. And he awakens with Tzedakah [righteousness/almsgiving], since when Tzedakah is evoked, good is evoked toward the assembly of Israel. This is why it is written, “But righteousness [Tzedakah] delivers from death,” since Tzedakah is the tree of life, ZA, and it awakens over the tree of death and takes those who cling to it and delivers them from death. Who caused the tree of life to awaken to that? It is the Tzedakah that a man has done; it made Malchut mate in the tree of life.