Dear Friends,
Social Security may be a 20th century innovation, as are Medicare and Medicaid, FDIC and other elements of the American economic safety net. But, the idea of a national, society-wide safety net is not new. It is found in the Torah. No surprise there.
This week we read of a host of economic protections for the Israelites, including remission of debts, returning collateralized land, and a national food supply.
And, we read this unique verse: “If one of your kin is in straits and has to sell part of a (land) holding, the nearest redeemer (relative) shall come and redeem what that relative has sold.” (Leviticus 25:25)
Essentially, if one was in economic peril and was forced to sell a portion of one’s inherited land, it was incumbent upon the next closest relative to purchase the property, hold it until the other was financially stable again, and then return it for a reduced price (assuming that the land had yielded produce in the interim, thus reducing the resale price). This appears to be idealistic, magnanimous and altruistic, and it is uncertain how often the practice was conducted during the biblical period when the Israelites were settled in the Land of Israel, but it does bespeak a vital value system: we are to protect the financial well-being of our neighbors and kin, even assuming their debt. It is not acceptable for one to thrive while a neighbor or kin is hungry or displaced.
Yes, some will shout “Socialism!” But, let’s remember that until the mid-20th century, many Jews worldwide espoused socialism, especially when they had been disallowed to own land in the Old Country. Socialism was not the bugaboo which it many presently claim, nor was it vilified as a dog whistle to extremists. It was the Red Scare of the 50’s which polarized American social thought, and the extremism of recent decades which has cemented it.
Yet, the values of socialism – sharing bounty, providing for the needy, using government to even-out the playing field – are goodly and fair. Just look at Scandinavian government services in education, health care, mental health, and income protection, and there is a healthy example of Torah-based social values in operation.
It is too bad that sound-bite thinking and simplistic politics have maligned the idealism of the social safety net. Why? Because Torah proposed those values as the foundation for a Jewish and civilized society!
Shabat Shalom, and for a Meaningful Memorial Day Commemoration,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Social Security may be a 20th century innovation, as are Medicare and Medicaid, FDIC and other elements of the American economic safety net. But, the idea of a national, society-wide safety net is not new. It is found in the Torah. No surprise there.
This week we read of a host of economic protections for the Israelites, including remission of debts, returning collateralized land, and a national food supply.
And, we read this unique verse: “If one of your kin is in straits and has to sell part of a (land) holding, the nearest redeemer (relative) shall come and redeem what that relative has sold.” (Leviticus 25:25)
Essentially, if one was in economic peril and was forced to sell a portion of one’s inherited land, it was incumbent upon the next closest relative to purchase the property, hold it until the other was financially stable again, and then return it for a reduced price (assuming that the land had yielded produce in the interim, thus reducing the resale price). This appears to be idealistic, magnanimous and altruistic, and it is uncertain how often the practice was conducted during the biblical period when the Israelites were settled in the Land of Israel, but it does bespeak a vital value system: we are to protect the financial well-being of our neighbors and kin, even assuming their debt. It is not acceptable for one to thrive while a neighbor or kin is hungry or displaced.
Yes, some will shout “Socialism!” But, let’s remember that until the mid-20th century, many Jews worldwide espoused socialism, especially when they had been disallowed to own land in the Old Country. Socialism was not the bugaboo which it many presently claim, nor was it vilified as a dog whistle to extremists. It was the Red Scare of the 50’s which polarized American social thought, and the extremism of recent decades which has cemented it.
Yet, the values of socialism – sharing bounty, providing for the needy, using government to even-out the playing field – are goodly and fair. Just look at Scandinavian government services in education, health care, mental health, and income protection, and there is a healthy example of Torah-based social values in operation.
It is too bad that sound-bite thinking and simplistic politics have maligned the idealism of the social safety net. Why? Because Torah proposed those values as the foundation for a Jewish and civilized society!
Shabat Shalom, and for a Meaningful Memorial Day Commemoration,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn