DEUT713 Utopians see the day when the mitzvah of tzedakah will be obsolete since no one will be in need of financial aid from his fellow man. The Pentateuch is ambivalent on the subject (this verse, Deuteronomy 15:11). The prophet is more sanguine (Micah 4:4). However, there will never be a time when men will not be in need of gemilut hasadim, acts of loving-kindness. This fact alone bestows upon the religious element in human life a longevity equal to that of mankind, for acts of loving–kindness can be rationalized only religiously, and men will always need a rationalization for what they do.