August 14th: Re’eh
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
This week’s portion is one of the most political in all the Torah, but it is also rather quixotic—and often misquoted. In Deuteronomy 15, we are told,
“There shall be no needy among you—since the Lord your God will bless you in the land the Lord your God is giving you as a hereditary portion—if only you heed the Lord your God and take care to keep all this Instruction that I enjoin upon you this day.”
Then, just a paragraph later, we are told,
“If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend sufficient for whatever is needed.”
So, will there be poor or not? I think we all know the answer, and the Torah is full of advice on how the poor are to be helped. We are supposed to share our blessings and invite the poor and the stranger—and the Levite—to our feasts. We are supposed to leave a corner of our fields unharvested so that the poor can help themselves. We are not supposed to pick the fields clean, again leaving grain and fruit for those in need. We are also supposed to lend money to people in need. All in all, we are supposed to allow some of our plenty to pass through our hands to the hands of God’s children who do not have enough.
As far as politics is concerned, this passage is both helpful and unhelpful. It clearly states the imperative to help the poor, but it does not address the political question of who should be providing the help. Liberals believe that individual and civic charity can never meet the need—making governmental assistance necessary. Conservatives believe that government is essentially and inevitably inefficient and unable to fix the problems—making civic and private charity the way to fulfill the Biblical imperative. The Torah does not get involved in this aspect of the discussion—probably because the ancient world was typified by smaller communities in which the poor were known by the wealthy—or at least were visible and part of the social fabric. Traditionally, Jewish communities were not part of the government and established our own social service agencies to help their poor; the purview of assistance was thus smaller. Though the Torah does not favor Democrats or Republicans, I believe that during Republican administrations—which tend to decrease assistance to the poor, it is incumbent on all of us to increase our participation in charitable agencies like the Food Bank or Interfaith Human Services. Regardless of the delivery mechanism, the obligation to give is Biblically enjoined and emphasized.
Another problem with this passage is the way that some interpretations attempt to negate it. Some religionists and politicians read these passages and then preach that economic need is a sign of God’s disfavor—a sign that the poor person is a sinner. Concomitant is the belief that economic plenty is a sign of God’s favor—a sign that the wealthy person is ipso facto righteous and pious.
This connection is most unBiblical—and certainly contrary to the message of the Prophets. They are very concerned—actually incensed!—that too many wealthy both ignore the plight of the poor and cheat them. We’ll be reading a classic example of this Prophetic message on Yom Kippur morning, when Isaiah rails against ritual observance in the face of social injustice. In other words, a closer and more expansive reading renders such “Prosperity Gospel” thinking as completely wrong. Nonetheless, there is a selfishness that often dwells in the human heart, and this selfishness can pervert the Torah and Prophets. This is nothing new, and we can see the intensity of the Torah’s and the Prophets’ efforts to remind us of the need to be generous to the needy.
There is a vibrant discussion in the Talmud about how Tzedakah should be given. What kind of assistance is necessary? How can the privacy of the recipient be respected, and how can assistance be given without causing humiliation? And, how does one give with a purity of mind—and not use the mitzvah for self-aggrandizement? As a kind of culmination and summary of these discussions, the medieval philosopher Rabbi Moses Maimonides constructed a ladder of giving. His “Eight Levels of Tzedakah” are presented in ascending order of goodness:
1. Giving a donation grudgingly
2. Giving less than one should, but doing so cheerfully.
3. Giving directly to the poor upon being asked.
4. Giving directly to the poor without being asked.
5. Giving when the recipient is aware of the donor’s identity, but the donor does not know the identify of the recipient.
6. Giving when the donor is aware of the the recipient’s identity, but the recipient is unaware of the source of the tzedakah.
7. Giving assistance in such a way that the giver and the recipient are unknown to each other. (Communal funds, administered by responsible people, are in this category.)
8. Helping to sustain a person before he/she becomes impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping him/her find employment or a way of self-support.
While one can see the increasing goodness as one moves up the ladder, it is important to remember that all the levels are good. Giving tzedakah is vital to the moral fabric of society—and to the moral fiber of each individual soul.
Let us rejoice in the blessings we have, and let us rejoice in sharing our blessings with others!