A lot of money was needed to ensure the burials, and the minimum care of patients, orphans and widows. This money was covered by charity donations -tzedakah- collected from all members of the community. The donations were collected in sealed boxes and were handled by the community's charity magistrates.It was customary, however, to place open charity boxes resembling a tray in the house of the mourners.Everyone could put money in them and the mourning family could take out as much as they needed.During the mourning period the money in the boxes was not counted.Thus, aid was almost invisible, in accordance with the ancient Jewish principles. How much money was put in and how much was taken out remained unknown.At the end, what remained was put in closed chevra boxes.