Each Jew must either give or take tzedakah [charity] for Passover.

The line frames Passover as a communal obligation rather than a purely private celebration. By saying every Jew must either give or take tzedakah, it collapses the distance between benefactor and recipient: the holiday’s requirements (matzah, wine, a festive meal) are so central that the community must ensure universal participation. The formulation also carries an ironic edge typical of Sholem Aleichem—hinting at widespread poverty and the social pressures of holiday observance—while still affirming a moral economy in which giving is a duty and receiving is not shameful when it enables a mitzvah and preserves dignity.