LEV1021 The legal distinction between custody and ownership also played a significant part in the development of ethical obligations in the field of social welfare. The biblical declaration that the land belongs to God [this verse] limits man to the role of custodian of his wealth. Property was entrusted to man on the condition that he use it for the good of all. Modern states have enacted into law advanced social concepts to alleviate the plight of the needy. Yet no law has succeeded in transmitting a sense of ethics to its citizenry on a personal level. Secular education has failed to replace religion as a moral force.