spirit

torah portion

Alleviate Want

Y

ou or your relative has grown
impoverished, perhaps due to
exceedingly punitive health
care bills or unpayable college debt.
What ought society do in response?
Parshat Behar offers an answer. “If
your brother is reduced to poverty,”
begins Leviticus 25:25, either a family
member should bail him out, if he is
able; or his debt ought to be released
in the year of the Jubilee.
people will bring evil upon
“Do not wrong one another,”
themselves because they do
warns verse 17, “but fear
not honor others as images
[retain awe for] your God;
of God.”
for I the Lord am your God.”
Torah sometimes serves
Wronging one another
as an aspirational docu-
seems sadly topical in
ment, depicting how a
today’s political atmo-
world of brotherly love,
sphere. For example, in the
absent of want, might look.
Rabbi Aura
realm of healthcare, while
While ideas such as Behar’s
Ahuvia
Obamacare has issues that
description of the Jubilee
need addressing, Congress
posit one way to get there,
is working on an alterna-
we today are also given
tive bill which, if passed,
tools, such as our voices, the
experts warn would take away
freedom to organize, our educations
access or affordability from millions
and the ability to envision, together,
of Americans in the middle-class or
what caring for all might entail.
below. What is worse, perhaps, is the
We just completed Kedoshim a
next piece of legislation anticipated
couple of weeks ago, part of whose
by congress: massive tax cuts for this holiness code contained the beauti-
nation’s wealthiest millionaires and
fully dense yet spare verse, V’ahavta
l’rey-acha kamocha, Ani Adoshem
billionaires. Experts have described
Elokeichem — “You shall love your
Congress’ plan as “Robin Hood in
reverse.” It appears as if the majority neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord
your God.” The ancient sage Rabbi
of lawmakers wish to wrong those
Akiva once described this verse as
whom they were elected to repre-
the most important in all of Torah,
sent.
for it lays the groundwork for a
Our ancient sages encouraged all
world built on love.
people to be generous with their
I have no issue with our elected
riches. An ancient midrash teaches,
officials addressing healthcare.
“Just as a torch is not diminished
though it lights a million candles, so What I do take issue with is legis-
too is a person undiminished by giv- lating a double standard. Let them
legislate according to their wisdom,
ing to those in need.”
provided they make sure that they
Conversely, they warned against
themselves are subject to the laws
being miserly. “God will punish
they seek to pass. “Do not wrong
those among us who are comfort-
one another, but fear [retain awe for]
able and ask the needy, ‘Why don’t
your God.” •
you go out and find a job, make
some money and put your own
Aura Ahuvia is rabbi at Congregation Shir
bread on the table?’ or otherwise
Tikvah in Troy.
withhold money, saying that the
poor can work for themselves. Such

BRETT MOUNTAIN

Parshat Behar/
Bechukotai: Leviticus
25:1-27:34; Jeremiah
16:19-17:14.

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May 18 • 2017

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