[Avodah] Murder?

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Nov 21, 2010 at 07:19:30PM +0100, R Arie Folger replied to
RHM:
:> Is there no ethical problem with a wealthy person having a better
:> chance at surviving a disease because of his wealth? Shouldn't
:> health care be blind to wealth?

: But isn't that already the case with the fact that wealthier people
: buy better healthcare and generally get more care? Unless Obamacare
: happens (not to belittle the problems, but it surely will be more
: equitable, though at a price).

I wasn't going to take this confession public, but RHM said he didn't
understand why, and then I got this in my Google Reader and simply
couldn't dismiss the "coincidence"; it seems Someone wants to push the
issue. So, here it is...

    Alshich - Why Didn't Hashem Didn't Choose Communism
    from Revach L'Neshama
    http://revach.net/article.php?id=4834

    Dovid HaMelech asks Hashem (Tehilim 61:8) according to the Medrash
    Tanchuma, "Yeisheiv Olam Lifnei Elokim", let all humanity live on
    equal footing before you Hashem. Why should there be poor people
    and rich people? Can Hashem not ensure that everyone has the same
    amount? Hashem answered him "Chesed VeEmes Man Yintzruhu", then who
    will perform Chesed?

    The world is about Chesed and in an equal world, Chesed opportunities
    are few and far between. Surely there is a rhyme and reason why some
    people are poor and some are rich. This has to do with each person
    individually and his mission in life. However says the Alshich
    (Behar 25:35), Hashem could have made life difficult for the Ani
    in other ways. The reason he chose to inflict him with poverty is
    strictly for the benefit of the people with money who are capable
    of helping him out.

    So next time a poor person asks you for help do not judge him. Do not
    give him the look that says "I worked for my money and what exactly do
    you do besides shnorr". If it weren't for you he wouldn't be a begging
    either. This is all about you and it is your big opportunity. The
    Ani will not be any better or worse off whether you answer or reject
    his plea for assistance. You will!

I must confess that something similar to the dilemma RHM raises and RAF
widens the scope of has made me sympathetic to those Pale of Settlement
Jews -- including Qibbutz haDati -- who embraced Communism. My father
recalls madrichim in Bnei Akiva preaching Communism. For that matter,
the days when people thought of the qibbutznik in his kova tembl whenever
you discussed the "typical Israel" ran well into my lifetime. If only
Communism would work.... We today know that it doesn't with the aid
of hindsight.

But sometimes I wonder if capitalism is like eishes yefas to'ar --
a concesssion to human imperfection.

The Alshich is being used in Revach L'Neshamah to say that Hashem doesn't
want Communism because it would rob us of opportunities for chessed. I
would argue the exact reverse: He doesn't want Communism because we lack
the level of chessed orientation necessary for it to work.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "The worst thing that can happen to a
micha at aishdas.org        person is to remain asleep and untamed."
http://www.aishdas.org          - Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv, Alter of Kelm
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