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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 1, 2008
/ 28 Sivan 5768
Too much inheritance?
By
Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Q: I think it's important to leave a legacy to my children. How much should I save towards this end?
A: The sages of the Talmud had a nuanced view of bequests. On the one hand, they strongly encouraged a person to leave the bulk of his or her assets to their family, and not give it all away to strangers or charity. But saving specifically for a legacy is also not encouraged. Children need to be given a good start in life; afterwards we should be most concerned about our spiritual legacy.
The following two stories from the Talmud seem to show a particularly dismissive attitude towards saving for grown children.
Shmuel said to Rabbi Yehudah: Sharp-witted one, grab and eat, grab and drink; for this world, whence we must depart, is like a wedding feast. Rav said to Rabbi Hamnuna: My son, if you have, enjoy; for in the nether world there is no enjoyment, and death will not wait. And if you say, I would leave it to my children? Who can promise provision in the nether world. People are like the plants of the field; these flourish and these whither. (1)
Today we might interpret this as saying, make sure you children know you expect them to be self-sufficient, and that they shouldn't rely on you for financial security. In the world of the Talmudic sages the message is a bit different; nobody has true financial security; rather, we fulfill our earthly responsibility to earn a living and trust in G-d that He will provide for us through our efforts. Likewise, we have confidence that G-d will provide for our children; however, with regard to them there is not even any responsibility to exert ourselves for them; they have the responsibility to exert themselves for themselves and their families.
The Talmud tells about the great sage Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish:
However, there is also a very well-known story which seems to have the opposite message. "Choni the circle-maker", who in time of drought "threatened" G-d that he would not leave his circle until He brought rain, was later involved in the following incident:
One day he was traveling and saw a man planting a carob tree. He said to him, how long will it be until it bears fruit? He said, as long as seventy years. He said, are you certain you will live seventy years? He said, I found a world with carob trees; just as my fathers planted for me, so I plant for my children. (3)
(Rabbi Shimon Golan explains that Choni, who was so impatient that he impertinently demanded that G-d provide rain this instant, needed a reminder that G-d's providence looks over the long term, and not always the here and now.)
The message seems to be that it is appropriate to make sure that your children have productive assets that will enable them to make a living, rather than piling up possessions to leave them after you are gone. This theme is also evident in the Torah commandment of the jubilee, which requires that even if a person has sold a field, when the jubilee year comes around the field must be returned to the person or his heirs, thus providing them a minimal basis for their livelihood. (Leviticus chapter 25.) However, the main responsibility of providing children with a livelihood is when they are young, to give them a good start in life when they start a family. It is considered a mitzvah (the fulfillment of a Divine commandment) to provide a youngster with instruction in a trade so that he will be self-sufficient later on. (4)
At any rate, if a person does have assets when he passes away they should be given to the heirs. We find that many commandments of the Torah relate to the disposition of estates, and the following Talmudic story is also instructive:
When [Mar Ukva] died, he said: Bring me the accounting of my charity donations. He found that it amounted to seven thousand dinar. He said: My provisions are light and the way is long; he immediately gave away [to charity] half of his possessions. (5)
Although Mar Ukva felt that giving additional charity was a foremost priority, in order to increase his merit as he approached the World of Truth, note that he did not give away all his possessions. His legacy to his children was equally important to him. Indeed, the 16th century authority Rabbi Moshe Isserless writes that if a person leaves a vague will stating merely that his assets should be disposed "in the best way", they should be given to his children, for this is the best way to divide someone's estate. (6)
The Chasidic tradition has an interesting interpretation of this principle. G-d grants each person material resources in order to carry out his unique mission in life. However, our mission is so vast that a person cannot complete it in one lifetime. However, our children are meant to carry on our spiritual mission in this world. Thus it is logical that they should also inherit any wealth that is left over when we die. This is like the baton we pass our children in the relay of the generations. (7)
SOURCES: (1) Babylonian Talmud, Eiruvin 54a (2) Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 47a (3) Babylonian Talmud, Taanis 23a (4) Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 306:6 (5) Babylonian Talmud, Ketubos 67b. (6) Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 282 (7) Likutei Halachos (Breslav), laws of inheritance.
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JWR contributor Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, formerly of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan
administration, is Research Director of the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem, Jerusalem College of Technology.
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