February 07, 2008
Some of us are luckier than others materially. Rich and poor, we are bound to have an uneven level of distribution of wealth in our human community. The question, then, is how to respond to this reality without encouraging the “haves” to feel entitled to the whole, and without dismissing the needs of the “have-nots,” who are, after all, God’s children too.
That is to say, it is not God’s wish that we are rich or poor; but rather, it is God’s will that we learn how to care for each other as equals. That is what it means to “not covet.”
The opening line of last week’s parsha (Torah reading) proclaims: “These are the rules that you shall set before them.” Exodus 21:1-24:18 guides the nascent Israelite nation in the establishment of a legal system that is based on an appreciation for our role in God’s creation.
These teachings, following immediately after the Ten Commandments, guide the Jewish people toward a way of life that is guided by mitzvot (commandments). The sage Nachmanides, seeing this as a continuation of the Ten Commandments, suggests that these rules are a continuation of the comment not to covet. “With clear rules operating among them, no one will covet what does not belong to him legally,” writes Nachmanides. “As Exodus Rabbah says, ‘The whole Torah is dependent on the rule of law — that is why the Holy One gave a set of laws after the Ten Commandments.’”
The rules that follow are wide-ranging, from laws concerning slavery (a form of which was permitted in our ancient code) to the ethical treatment of the vulnerable in our society. With the frame of “not coveting” we begin to see the unfolding of a legal system intended to help us to control our most base impulses. The rules help us to govern ourselves in fairness, elevating life beyond the circumstances of the moment to the higher purpose of life. As the psalmist later recalled, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1).
It takes a disciplined spiritual consciousness to always remember that we are not “entitled” to anything we wish to have. We need it spelled out for us, we need the details. Our impulse may be to take all that we can grasp, but our task as a spiritual people is to hold back — to take only what God ordains is ours.
Exodus 21:24 instructs us, “If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, do not act toward them as a creditor; exact no interest from them.” We understand the challenge — our own capitalist economy is based on the ability to lend and borrow money. The banking industry is the grease that makes the engine run — we could not imagine a world where lending and interest were not allowed.
But what are the limits to this? The Torah tells us: The poor among us need access to loans without interest. It is not only compassionate (a core Jewish value, to be sure!), but it is also the righteous way that we help those who need help to lift themselves out of their difficulties.
Our people have a long tradition of helping others with the mitzva (righteous act) of interest-free loans. Our great teacher Maimonides taught that the highest level of giving is: “the person who helps another to support oneself by a gift or a loan or by finding employment for that person, thus helping that person to become self-supporting.”
In our community we have a resource for this mitzva. The Hebrew Free Loan Society of MetroWest, which loans money to those in temporary need, has been a resource for our community since the late 1800s. The process for getting help is simple — members of our Jewish community who have a serious need and do not have access to regular sources of loans can call Hebrew Free Loan at 973-765-9050 for a completely confidential application process. MetroWest-area rabbis, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Vocational Service can also help individuals to begin the process.
As Arthur Schechner, chair of the board of Hebrew Free Loan of MetroWest, has said, “it is not a handout — it’s just a hand.” It is a way for our Jewish community to fulfill the mitzva of being partners with God. Whether donor or applicant, we are all fulfilling the mitzva of living in a just and fair society.