TORAH PORTION
Wealth Vs. Charity:
Defining Possessions
BY RABBI IRWIN GRONER
Special to The Jewish News
The Sale You've Been Waiting For!
And every man's hallowed
things shall be his: whatsoever
any man giveth to the priest, it
shall be his. (Numbers 5:10)
The above verse refers to some
of the perquisites of the priest of
ancient Israel, in an almost
casual and indirect manner. The
priest is to receive the heave-
offering and "every man's hal-
lowed things" as well as direct
gifts.
That is the literal meaning of
the verse, but it is equally possi-
ble to find a different meaning.
That interpretation makes the
word "his" refer not to the priest,
recipient of the gift, but to the
donor, and produces this transla-
tion: "And every man's hallowed
things shall be his property;
whatsoever any man giveth the
priest shall yet belong to him."
Is is possible to justify such a
paradoxical statement? How can
one suggest that that which a
man sets aside as holy is his own
property; that which he gives
away shall be his, with the im-
plicit corollary that that which he
retains for his own use is not his?
Nevertheless, Jewish tradition
argues that this apparent
paradox embodies a profound
moral truth. The fact is often
overlooked that only by giving
something away do we ensure
that it is at our disposal, for our
benefit and use. It can also be
true that those things which we
hoard for ourselves as inalienable
possessions really do not belong
to us, ultimately.
This truth is conveyed by a
beautiful story told in the Tal-
mud. A saintly man was once
walking along the public
thoroughfare when over a garden
wall there came hurtling some
stones which nearly struck him.
Approaching the wall, he looked
over, and spied a proud househol-
der clearing stones from his gar-
den and disposing of them by
throwing them into the street.
Beckoning to him, the saintly
man said, "How long will you
continue to cast stones from that
which is not yours into that
which is yours?" The househol-
der, probably thinking he was
dealing with a lunatic, answered,
"It is the other way round! The
house is mine; the street is not. I
am throwing from that which is
mine to that which is not mine."
"You will find out who is right,"
replied the passer-by, and went
on his way.
Sometime later, this househol-
der suffered a reversal of fortune.
He went bankrupt, his house was
sold by the court, and, penniless
and homeless, the only place he
could rest his weary head was the
public street. The truth of the
saintly man struck home. The
street being the property of the
whole community, the househol-
der could lay claim to its use. Of
his own property, he was de-
prived by a turn of fortune.
Consider the profound lesson
that what belongs to the commu-
nity as a whole becomes the in-
alienable property of each
member of the community:
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Soles by the:
ORGANIZATION
18
Friday, June 20, 1986
THE DETROIT. JEWISH NEWS ,-6-.. / 11__.tyl
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"Whatsoever the man giveth to
the priest, it shall yet belong to
him."
An interesting story is told
about Anschel Rothschild, the
founder of the fabulously wealthy
Rothschild family. He was asked
once how much money he had.
Being a religious man, he re-
sponded to the question by quot-
ing the verse cited above, found
in this week's Sidrah — "and
every man's hallowed things
shall yet belong to him." He ex-
Shabbat Naso:
Numbers 4:21-7:89.
Judges 13:2-25.
plained further to his inquirer
that he really does not know
much he has, because he is never
sure of his investments, whether
they will bring a profit or result
in a total loss. He concluded that
the only investment that is really
his is the one he gave to charity
— that remains to his credit and
is never lost.
Our sages engaged in extensive
commentary on the enduring
value of charity as compared to
the fleeting nature of human pos-
sessions. They emphasize that
man cannot take with him, after
his earthly existence has ended,
any of his material possessions
while his charitable deeds stand
him in good stead during his
lifetime, as well as in the world to
come and in the gratitude of fu-
ture generations.
A sage of the 14th Century
wrote that the world is like a re-
volving wheel: one who is rich
today may be poor tomorrow.
Therefore, let a man give charity
before the wheel has turned, and
thereby earn everlasting merit. It
is recorded that there were prom-
inent leaders of the Jewish com-
munity of France in the Middle
Ages who used to make their cof-
fins out of the tables on which
they served food to the poor, to
show that a man can take noth-
ing with him except the good he
has done.
The goal of tzedakah is not
limited to meeting the needs of
individuals. The needs of a people
have even greater priority. Thus,
Jewish tradition has declared
that the support of Israel, the re-
demption of captives, and the
study of Torah are the most sac-
red of causes. These were recog-
nized as the most significant
forms of investment for every
Jew, for in elevating the quality
of life for the Jewish people,
every Jew derived personal bene-
fit.
Graduation Told
Ben and Evelyn Shepherd of
Farmington Hills announce the
graduation of their son, Steven R.
Shepherd, from the College of Os-
teopathic Medicine and Surgery
in Des Moines, Iowa. He will
begin an internship at Detroit
Osteopathic Hospital.
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