[Avodah] Tzedaka & middot Q

[T613K at aol.com]

From: Micha Berger _micha at aishdas.org_ (mailto:micha at aishdas.org) 

>> But the  entire concept of tzedaqah literally meaning "[social] justice"
and being a  redistribution of wealth opens the question of exactly how
socialist halakhah  expects us to be.

Thoughts?  <<

:-)BBii!
-Micha

 
>>>>>>
Tzedakah is the /opposite/ of socialism.  Tzedakah means it is your  money 
and you voluntarily give it to beneficiaries whom you consider  worthy.   In 
the case of terumos uma'asros, you have the halachic  right to decide which 
kohen and levi you will give to and the kohen can't come  to your house and 
take his donations by force -- even though you do have a  general 
obligation to give and he does have a general right to receive.   The kohen therefore 
has an incentive to make himself agreeable and useful to his  fellow 
citizens -- rather than coming at them with "attitude" and "es kumt  mir."
 
Socialism is the opposite -- it's not  your money, the government  takes it 
away from you and decides who to give your money to, whether you think  
those recipients deserve it or not.  Socialism is attractive to many people  
for the very reason that it /frees/ them from the obligation to give tzedakah 
--  cleanses their conscience -- so they can look at a poor person and say, 
"You're  not my problem, go to the welfare office and leave me alone."  This 
is, for  the same reason, the big attraction of voting Democat -- it 
enables you to feel  charitable because you voted to redistribute /other people's/ 
money, and frees  you of the obligation to give away your own money.   Once 
again,  socialism is the opposite of tzedakah.
 
--Toby Katz
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