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When economics becomes a disastrous utopian delusion By Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein
JewishWorldReview.com |
This week's Torah portion talks about the construction of the Tabernacle, the Mishkan, which was the precursor to the grand Temple that King Solomon built. The Tabernacle contained a number ofklei kodesh, special holy items. All of the artifacts of the Tabernacle were there not only for beauty — though they were certainly beautifully constructed — but to convey a message to the people through their unique symbolism. For example, the Holy Ark which contains the Tablets with the Ten Commandments represents the value of learning Torah. The Menorah, the Candelabrum, represents the light and wisdom of the Torah.
One of the items in the Sanctuary was the Shulchan, the Table, a special table that was to be placed in the holy section of the Mishkan together with the Menorah, the Candelabrum, and the Mizbach haZahav, the Golden Altar used for incense. The Table, is symbolic of material wealth and prosperity, but also symbolizes the moral ties that hold society together.
THE MESSAGE OF THE TABLE IN THE TABERNACLE
The Table contains a very important message. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, one of our great commentators and philosophers from the 19th century, explains that the Table represents material prosperity. It was made of acacia wood and had a gold top. The wood — a growing and developing substance — represents financial prosperity, and material and physical well-being. The gold represents firmness of principle. It is solid, unmoving, unwavering and pure — as the verse states, Zahav Tahor, pure gold. This represents the immovable principles of right and wrong.
Together, the gold and the wood represent the idea that material prosperity has to be based on the ethical and moral principles that G-d has given us. This is demonstrated by the gold crown as well: it surrounds the table and holds it, symbolizing that material and physical prosperity and success must be confined within the bounds of right and wrong.
SOCIETY'S ECONOMY MUST BE BASED ON ETHICAL AND MORAL BUSINESS PRACTICES
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These are but two examples of the many scenarios in Jewish business ethics. In fact, a major branch of Jewish law in the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, is Choshen Mishpat, which deals with all monetary laws, contract laws, delict and interpersonal actions keeping society functioning optimally. This section of Choshen Mishpat is known to be one of the most difficult sections of the Code of Jewish Law, in terms of its depth and the complex thought processes required to master these difficult concepts.
The intricacies of human relationships and the financial arrangements are often very, very complicated. At times, they are also difficult to implement; sometimes people find it very easy to fulfil the commandments between themselves and G-d but money poses much more of a challenge to them. Ethical and moral dealings in business have to be part of the very foundations of the pursuit of earning a living; one has to earn a living honestly.
To earn an honest living independently is to fulfill a great commandment of G-d. It allows a person and his family — if so blessed by G-d — to be able to live with dignity. But the very foundation of it has to be morality and ethical conduct in accordance with these G-d-given principles.
WE MUST SUPPORT EACH OTHER
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHARITY AND GIVING TZEDAKAH
We cannot simply pursue our own interests, as justifiable as it is to earn a living. We have to help and support others and make a difference to the greater good of society. In order for any society to function normally, it has to be based on one human being supporting another. This is not only in the realm of monetary assistance, in giving tzedakah , but in other areas of kindness; there are many ways each of us can contribute to society as a whole.
G-D IS THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER
Given that G-d is the source of all our sustenance, we are not going to achieve more by being unethical or selfishly withholding our money and resources. Every year, on Rosh Hashanah, G-d decrees how much will be allocated to each of us. The commentaries explain that it cannot be that G-d allocated that amount with the intention that we get it through unethical means or through withholding charity. Rather, the amount He allocated to us is predetermined, and if we do with it as we are supposed to, we are guaranteed that that amount will not be diminished.
GIVING CHARITY WILL NEVER DIMINISH WHAT WE HAVE, ONLY INCREASE IT
Rabbi Shimon Shkop, one of the great leaders of Lithuanian Jewry during the early part of the 20th century, says that the reason there is such a guarantee is because G-d gave us the money in the first place in order to distribute it. Everything that we have, all the resources and goodness — whether it is financial wealth, talents or other things that G-d has given to us — were given to us so that we would share it with others. The more that we fulfill His will in sharing these with others, the more He is going to want to give to us because that is why He gave it to us in the first place.
Of course, in this world, sometimes very saintly people are poor and sometimes very wicked people are wealthy. These anomalies are attributable to other factors that G-d has to take into account, factors that are beyond human comprehension. But there is a guarantee that poverty will never be caused by the giving of charity, and wealth will never be the result of holding onto one's money and not giving tzedakah. We will never lose by giving, we will only gain. That is a guarantee that we have received through our Oral Tradition. It is built on the fact that G-d is the originator of all sustenance. We therefore must behave ethically with it, and must be willing to give with it.
EACH HUMAN BEING IS UNIQUE AND MUST BE TREATED AS AN INDIVIDUAL
Rabbi Hirsch explains the symbolism of this tubing as follows: although we are required to support one another, to give and contribute to society as a whole, there still has to be a concept of individual rights. We cannot have a society where individual people are crushed by the whole. In other words, when we talk about a system of charity, a system whereby those who have help those who do not have, we are not talking about a system of communism, where individuality is crushed and everyone becomes a tiny cog in a massive construction of society.
Judaism maintains that every single individual is sacred and unique. As the Talmud states, a person is required to say bishvili nivra ha'olam, "the world was created for me." The Talmud further states that "he who destroys one life it is as if he has destroyed the entire world, and he who saves one life it is as if he has saved the entire world." Judaism values the importance of the individual, and not just as an individual comprising society; each and every individual is an integral, unique part of society, valued in his own right. He stands separately from the rest of society and yet he must give to society.
Although each loaf supported the loaves above it, each loaf was also separated from the loaves above it. They were not just piled up; there was a separation so that the top loaves did not crush those beneath them and also so that there would not be mould that would destroy them because they were too close.
WE FUNCTION AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A COLLECTIVE SOCIETY
The Table, made of wood and gold, with stacks of Showbread on it, demonstrates how society should function: with firm moral and ethical principles, as represented by the gold constraining the wood which symbolises prosperity and material success. The loaves stacked one on top of another represent society being dependent on people supporting one another, and that we have an obligation to give charity, to be kind, and to make a difference. The tubing running between the two sides represents that although we are obligated to contribute to society as a whole, we must still regard each person as an individual, distinct from society, and allow them breathing space so they are not crushed by others.
This is a very important model, not only for society as a whole, but for all of the mini communities in our lives: a school, a shul, or a family unit. People have to support one another. Loyal members of a family support one another, and loyal members of a shul or a school support one another. Yet there has to be separation, where each person is regarded as an individual. Every child in a family is separate and must be treated as an individual. The individuality has to be respected and nurtured because it is from the greatness of the individual that the greatness of society flourishes. At the same time, it is from the generosity, kindness, commitment and the bonds between people that society thrives. These two values have to be in balance in order for society to function optimally.
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Comment by clicking here. The author is the Chief Rabbi of South Africa and the author of "Defending the Human Spirit: Jewish Law's Vision for a Moral Society," which explores the Torah's legal system compared to Western law. In using real court cases he demonstrate the similarities and differences between Judaism's view of defending the vulnerable and Western legal practice.
© 2012, Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein
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