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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 needs

DEUT742 Assistance to an Orphan: Our Rabbis taught: If an orphan applied for assistance to marry, a house must be rented for him, a bed must be prepared for him, and he has to be supplied with all household objects needed for his use, and then he is given a wife in marriage, for it is said in Scripture, "Sufficient for his need in that which he wants" (this verse). "Sufficient for his need," refers to the house, "in that which he wants," refers to a bed and a table; "He" refers to a wife, for so it is said in Scripture, "I will make a fitting helper for him" (Genesis 2:18) [Talmud Ketubot 67b].

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 needy

DEUT743 (Continued from [[LEV316]] Leviticus 19:9 gleanings OXFORD 345-6). Jewish tradition does not provide a precise definition of "need" but offers paradigmatic examples, such as food, clothing, shelter, furnishings, and requirements of a family life. (S.A. Yoreh De'ah 251:1). The Talmud sets broad parameters for the extent of support in its exegesis of [this verse]. "You shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need (or lack), according as he needs (lacks)." "Sufficient for his lack'--you are commanded to support him, and you are not commanded to enrich him; 'according as he lacks'--even to a horse to ride and a servant to run in front of him." (B. Ketubbot 67b) (By Aaron L. Mackler, "Jewish Bioethics: The Distribution of Health Care")

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 open

DEUT745 It is a positive commandment to give charity to the poor in Jewry as Scripture states, You shall surely open your hand, etc. [this verse]; and the Sages of blessed memory interpreted (Sifri, ad loc.): "you shall surely open" -- even many times [when necessary]. And Scripture states further, then you shall uphold him, the stranger and the sojourner [which means one who accepted the seven commandments and imposed on all the descendants of Noah--that we have duty to sustain him] that he may live along with you (Va-yikra 25:35). And it is further stated, that your brother may live along with you (ibid. 36). One has to give according to what is suitable for the needy man and according to what he is lacking. If he has no clothing, he has to be clothed, and so provided with other things that he needs. If the donor's means are not enough, he has to give him as he is able to; and even a poor man who is sustained by charity has a duty to give charity to someone else. A poor man who is related to him takes precedence over everyone else. The poor of one's house takes precedence over the poor of his town; the poor of his town have precedence over the poor of another town--for Scripture says, you shall surely open your hand to your brother, your poor man, and to your needy person in your land (D'varim 15:11). If someone sees a penniless person seeking alms and he hides his eye from him and gives him no charity, he disobeys a positive commandment and violates a negative one [D'varim 15:9). This is a very severe transgression, and he is called a scoundrel, a sinner and a wicked person. We are duty-bound to be more careful about the mitzvah of charity than about all the other positive commandments: for charity is a distinguishing characteristic of the descendants of Abraham. The throne of Jewry is not properly established, nor can the faith of truth endure, except through charity; for Scripture says, Zion shall be redeemed with Judgment, and those of her that return, with charity (Yesha'yahu 1:27). So if anyone is merciless, his lineage has to be suspected; for the cruel lack of mercy is found only among the heathen, as Scripture says (Yirmeyahu 50:42). All members of Jewry are as brothers, however: as Scripture says, You are the children of Hashem your God (D'varim 14:1); and if a person won't have compassion on his own brother, who will take pity on him? To whom should the poor in Jewry lift up their eyes beseeching help -- to the heathen who hate them and persecute them? So their eyes only look to their brethren. Now, it is necessary to give charity with a cheerful face, happily. Nothing bad ever results from charity. No one becomes poor from giving it; as Scripture says, the work of righteousness shall be peace (Yesha'yahu 32:17). It is necessary to calm and cheer a poor man with words, and it is forbidden to rebuke him or raise one's voice to him in shouting, because his heart is broken. And woe to anyone who shames a poor man. If a person coerces (persuades) others to give charity, his reward is greater than the reward of the one who gives. And whoever acts with compassion will be treated with compassion; as Scripture says, He shall show you mercy and have compassion upon you, and shall multiply you (D'varim 13:18). As for redeeming people in captivity, there is no greater religious duty than that. Whoever hides his eye from that transgresses many positive and negative commandments.

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 open

DEUT744 Give charity to the needy. Give to the needy, happily and with a glad heart. One should feel gratified that his money is going to relieve the suffering of an unfortunate fellow Jew. We must help and strengthen the poor in every way possible, so that they have sufficient food and all of their other vital needs. See [[EXOD709]] Exodus 22:24 lend CHINUCH 43-4.

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 open

DEUT750 The literature on zedakah relentlessly observes that need cannot be quantified on the basis of objective criteria. An individual's needs cannot be determined through calculating the objective minimum that any person might require to be sustained. The sources refuse to "objectify" another person's need. Rather, each person is perceived as an individual with subjective, individualistic, and even idiosyncratic needs. The demands of his or her personality, past experience, self-respect, and personal dignity are never overlooked. The goal in Jewish social welfare – – not always attainable, though never forgotten--is to provide the individual that which is "sufficient for his need" (this verse).

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 open

DEUT746 Obligatory Giving: Tzedakah. … tzedakah, a Hebrew word often translated inaccurately as "charity." The root of the word actually comes from a source meaning "righteousness," "justice," or "fairness." That gives a very different slant on obligatory generosity as the Jewish tradition sees it. Giving tzedakah is one of the traditional obligations of a Jewish life. It has the weight of a commandment directly from the Torah, where the instruction is unambiguously stated in four verses, including [this and preceding verse]. That primary handbook to Jewish observance, the Shulchan Aruch, states that everyone is required to give tzedakah appropriate to his or her capacity. A person cannot be considered pious--a tzaddik, from the same etymological root as tzedakah -- unless he or she gives to others, especially the needy. To give less than ten percent is considered miserly. The law cautions against giving beyond one's means, however, and so it also sets an upper limit of one-fifth of one's income, because it will be of no benefit for a person to become impoverished because of excessive giving.

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 open

DEUT752 We are obligated to give charity to the poor. You shall give charity to a poor person. If, however, he does not want to take the money as a present, give it to him as a loan. (Rashi). It is a positive commandment to give charity to the needy with happiness and a good heart. The mitzvah of giving tzedakah (charity) does not only apply to giving aid to the poor. To aid a wealthy person when he needs assistance is also a fulfillment of the mitzvah of tzedakah. Furthermore, whenever you give pleasure to others, whether it be through money, food, or comforting words, you fulfill this mitzvah. The Rambam (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 9:3) writes that he never saw or heard of a city in which there lived ten Jews that did not have a charity fund. (Chinuch 479). The word the Sages use for charity is tzedakah, which literally means righteousness or justice. The term elucidates the Torah concept of charity. It is not merely a charitable act to give to the poor; it is the obligation of every single person. (Yad Haktanan, Hilchos Daios 8:1) [Transcriber's note: Author discusses Rambam's (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:7-14) eight levels of charity, with numerous examples. Author then provides an extended discussion of the basic laws pertaining to this commandment, with examples.]

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DEUTERONOMY — 15:8 open

DEUT747 Our modern industrial food system, centered around policies like the Farm Bill, succeeds tremendously at producing corn and soy, the basic sources of much of our caloric intake, cheaply and efficiently. The evolution of the Farm Bill to its modern incarnation as an omnibus policy propping up cheap food makes sense in light of its origins--a time when supporting small farmers and growing their food supply were of vital national importance. Today our nation produces mass quantities of food--enough to feed everyone in the United States with plenty to spare—on limited land. … The importance of a stable and abundant food supply should not be overlooked or understated. After all, ensuring that everyone has enough food to eat as a Jewish value exhorted in the Torah and supported in the midrash: “When you are asked in the world-to-come, ‘What was your work?’ and you answer, ‘I fed the hungry,’ you will be told, ‘This is the gate of the Lord, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry’” (Midrash T’hillim 118:17). With government support for efficient production of cheap food, we can feed people not only in our country, but also around the world. This policy speaks clearly to food as a basic human right, no person should go hungry, and when there are people in need, we are obligated to help. In Deuteronomy 15:7-11 we are clearly commanded that when there is a poor person among us, we must not turn away, but rather we must provide as much help as is needed.... If the goal is to provide affordable and abundant sustenance efficiently, then the Farm Bill is a case study in successful public policy. … However, our food system and the policies that shape it have come under an enormous amount of criticism in recent years from the environmental, economic justice, and International Development communities. Under Farm Bill policies, our nation's agricultural system produces more food (mostly corn) than ever before, but it is becoming increasingly clear that this system has a wide variety of adverse and unintended consequences. The challenges of our modern food system is maintaining this unprecedented level of productivity without destroying our environment and causing a vast array of other unintended consequences for global health and hunger. As Michael Pollan explains in reference to our current federal food policy, “This focus on quantity may have made sense in a time of food scarcity, but today it gives us a school-lunch program that feeds chicken nuggets and Tater Tots to overweight and diabetic children.” The negative impact on health goes hand in hand with the unprecedented energy consumption associated with global food distribution, the greenhouse gases spewing from factory farms, and the negative impact on farmers in the developing world. Having enough food for all--and ensuring that those most in need have access to the most essential resource for survival--is an important, and deeply Jewish, goal. However we also value environmental stewardship and sustainability and can see that, among other negative effects, our industrial agricultural system despoils our environment and degrades our land so that the future food growth may be inhibited. The earliest verses of Genesis include the clear exhortation “to work [the earth] and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15), not just to use our resources to bring forth what we need--namely, food--but to be thoughtful guardians of our planet for current and future generations. (By Michael Namath and Rachel Cohen, “RAISING OUR VOICES FOR FOOD JUSTICE”)

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