“See,” says Moses to the people of Israel, “I place before you today a blessing and a curse”—the blessing that will come when they fulfill G‑d’s commandments, and the curse if they abandon them.
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These should be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal when the people cross over into the Holy Land.
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Then Moses goes on to reiterate some of the rules related to the Tabernacle & sacrifices, signs of what constitutes a kosher animal, and what animals can be brought as offerings.
But the part of this parish I find most interesting has nothing to do with sacrifices & prayer.
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But the part of this parish I find most interesting has nothing to do with sacrifices & prayer.
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It has to do with charity.
You see, we have an interesting problem in this world today about Charity, a problem that is quite different from the attitude taught by Moses.
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You see, we have an interesting problem in this world today about Charity, a problem that is quite different from the attitude taught by Moses.
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The Torah makes it clear that Charity is the responsibility of the individual. One chooses to give to others as a matter of social obligation, as an expression of being part of a humane and moral society.
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Thought 3400 years of Jewish history, this was, and is, part of Jewish cultural life.
But, in modern times, too many think that, heck, I paid taxes, and the Government can take care of the poor and the sick and the disabled.
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But, in modern times, too many think that, heck, I paid taxes, and the Government can take care of the poor and the sick and the disabled.
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In short, what we see is a shift from personal responsibility to the State’s responsibility.
Worldwide, we can see a few things. One, is that the poor actually give more charity as a percentage of what they have, than do the wealthy.
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Worldwide, we can see a few things. One, is that the poor actually give more charity as a percentage of what they have, than do the wealthy.
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People who are family oriented give more charity than those that are not. People on the political left give far less charity than those on the political right and this is rather true internationally.
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A Facebook friend living in Portugal told me an interesting thing a short time ago. A poor neighbor who had very little himself, had extra food more than his family needed at the moment and prepared a dish for my friend sharing the little he had - unasked,...
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That is the core of real civilization. Caring about a neighbor. Charity.
And that is what Moses was talking about. Delegating to the State is not good enough. Personal responsibility, personal caring, caring for one’s family, and neighbor, and community personally.
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And that is what Moses was talking about. Delegating to the State is not good enough. Personal responsibility, personal caring, caring for one’s family, and neighbor, and community personally.
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That is what Torah teaches. Because that is what makes us better people."
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