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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>From: Michael Makovi <A title=mailto:mikewinddale@gmail.com href="mailto:mikewinddale@gmail.com">mikewinddale@gmail.com</A><BR><BR>>>
The following question has occurred to me, and while I doubt any prior<BR>Jewish
authorities ever thought about this issue, it still seems valid<BR>to me. After
all, a sevara is d'oraita.<BR><BR>If you carefully read things like John Locke,
Cato's Letters [etc]</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>one constantly recurring principle is that the<BR>government has only
those powers which the people grant it. ...</FONT></DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV><BR><BR>Now, I cannot go to my neighbor's house and take his money to feed
the<BR>poor. Therefore, I cannot grant the government that power
either...<BR><BR><BR>.... I'm sure that everything I've said so far is
utterly<BR>foreign to the Tanakh, Gemara, Rambam, etc....<BR>Nevertheless, the
Tanakh tells us that the PEOPLE choose a king.<BR>.... And as I said, a
sevara is d'oraita. Everything I've said so<BR>far, sounds perfectly logical on
paper.....<BR> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>.....So my question is: given that we know that historically, the
Jewish<BR>communities would assess tzedaqa like a tax, how could they do
this?<BR><BR>Michael Makovi</FONT></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'm guessing that they could do it because, in your case, a sevara is not a
de'oraisa after all.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You seem to think that if, in your own eyes, your logic is impeccable --
then your logic has the full status of a de'oraisa. But I'm guessing that
your logic is peccable. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For example -- who says that a government is "only a people's proxy"?
Cato, Locke, Thomas Jefferson? Are they Torah authorities?
Maybe a Torah government is G-d's proxy?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff><BR></FONT><B><FONT color=#0000ff>--Toby
Katz<BR>==========<BR><BR></FONT></B></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>