Ideals to consider
“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 19:10
“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,
but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”
Exodus 23:10,11.
“‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.
Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you.
You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit.”
Leviticus 25:35-37
“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.
This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD'S time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.”
Deuteronomy 15:1,2.
Can you imagine modern financial institutions, governments or even individuals doing the above.
When it comes to money in particular instead of cancelling a debt when someone can’t pay financial institutions put up the interest rate making it even harder for the individual to pay.
Somehow I can’t imagine the big credit card companies or banks cancelling debts every seven years. Our economy isn’t ready for it.
Perhaps, just perhaps if they were forced to do so from the start we would today be living in a better society. Perhaps our economy would have a firmer foundation than the credit economy with have today.
And what of the poor. Millions here in Canada and the United States with all our wealth are living under the poverty line. Millions having to choose between food and a roof over their head or food and medicines.
Even people who qualify for social assistance are struggling to make end’s meet. We need a change in mind set.
The Bible quite rightly states,
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
Deuteronomy 15:11
Sadly too many people look down on the poor this should no be so. People are poor for a myriad of good reasons. Still it shouldn’t be so. We as a society need to be helping the poor to the best of our ability.
The Jews have something they call Tzedakah.
One source explains Tzedackah this way
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes.
However the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word “charity suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply an act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.”
The Talmud describes these different levels of tzedakah, and the Rambam organized them into a list. The levels of charity from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are:
Giving begrudgingly
Giving less than you should, bu giving cheerfully,
Giving after being asked
Giving before being asked
Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows yours
Giving when you know and the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know yours.
Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.
Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant.
Think about.it
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