Money and Mitzvos

On Amassing Money

Rabbi Hershel Schachter

Some sociologists opined that money is an evil of society. The Chaon Ish (Yoreh Deah 72:2) pointed out that halacha does not share that perspective. Rather, even in an ideal Torah world we would use kesef (money) to fulfill mitzvos.

The halacha declares that in most instances shoveh kesef (a commodity which has value) can be used in place of kesef. For example, we get married by having the chosson hand a ring, i.e. shoveh kesef, to the kallah, as opposed to giving her kesef, and this constitutes a form of kidushei kesef. Nonetheless, one can only fulfill the mitzvah of machatzis hashekel by giving kesef to the Beis Hamikdash for the purpose of purchasing the korbanos tzibbur (Bechoros 51a).

A variety of opinions are presented in Shulchan Aruch (Choshem Mishpat 369) regarding the extent to which halacha recognizes dina demalchusa. The Shach (Yoreh Deah 165:8) points out that all agree that dina demalchusa determines what is considered kesef. Whatever currency the government of any given country establishes has the halachic status of kesef. When the second Beis Hamildash was built there was no Jewish government ruling over Eretz Yisroel. As such, the mitzvah of machatzis hashekel had to be fulfilled by giving a coin recognized as kesef by the ruling non-Jewish government. After several centuries when the Chashmonaim established a Jewish government in Eretz Yisroel and minted their own coins, “Jewish” coins replaced the “non-Jewish” coins for this mitzvah.

The Talmud (Pesachim 54b) speaks of the concept of “money” being part of G-d’s initial plan for creating the world, just as the Torah and the mitzvos preceded the creation of the world. The rabbis of the Talmud (Shabbos 33b) tell us that Yaakov Avinu improved the life of the citizens of Shechem by introducing a monetary system for them. Money is something positive. Without money we can not function.

Judaism, as opposed to certain other religions, has never preached that poverty is an ideal. The Rema (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 248) considers making a living something positive, comparable to a mitzvah. As such, one who lives in Eretz Yisroel is permitted to go to chutz la’aretz for the purpose of making a living. Even if one is making ends meet, but wants to go to chutz la’aretz to make a more comfortable living, the accepted opinion is that this too is permissible. However, we would not allow one who already makes a comfortable living to go to chutz la’aretz in order to become wealthy (see Moed Kattan 14a). There is no mitzvah to be poor, but there is also no mitzvah to be rich.

We all need food in order to survive, be healthy, and function. However, we should not love food. Many Americans suffer from obesity because they love food and overeat. Similarly, we all need money to live in this world. However, we should not develop a love for money. Koheles (5:9) teaches us that one who loves money will never be satisfied with the money he has. The Medrash (Koheles Rabbah 1:34) famously comments, “ein adam yotze min haolam vechatzi ta’avaso beyado”. When those who love money die, regardless of how much money they have amassed it will not be even half of what they desired.

The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 11a) tells us that R’ Yehuda Hanasi was extremely wealthy, which was necessary for his position as chief rabbi. But he did not love the money. In fact, he hardly took any pleasure from this world (Kesubos 104a).

The parsha tells us (Breishis 47:14) that Yosef amassed all of the cash from Egypt and Canaan by selling the grain that he stored. He understood that this was needed for the Egyptian government, and apparently saw this as part of the message of Pharoh’s dream. However, we do not get the impression that he became one who loved money.

The Medrash (Koheles Rabbah 5:8) distinguishes between two types of observant Jews: one who merely observes the mitzvos, and one who loves mitzvos. The one who observes, but does not love, mitzvos will be satisfied with keeping the mitzvos which come his way. But the one who loves mitzvos will always be on the lookout for additional miztvos. He will never be satisfied with the miztvos that he may have fulfilled already – “ohev mitzvos lo yisba mitzvos”.

Rather than love money, or love food, we should all develop a love for mitzvos.

Copyright © 2008 by The TorahWeb Foundation. All rights reserved.

From Torah Web, here.

מהי ברכת משה רבנו בפרשה שלנו

“ויברך אותם משה”.

א”ל ה’ אלקי אבותיכם יוסף וגו’ (תו”כ שמיני פ”א) וי”א ויהי נועם וגו’ (במדב”ר פי”ב) וי”א יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיכם (ס”ע פ”ו ותו”כ הנ”ל) וי”א יה”ר שלא תשלוט בכם עין רע ולא אויב במעשה ידיכם (מדרש אגדה) וי”א ברכת כהנים (ס”ח סי’ תתרכ”א) וי”א כשם שנתעסקתם במלאכת משכן ושרתה שכינה על מעשה ידיכם כך תזכו ותבנו לפניו בית הבחירה ותשרה שכינה על מעשה ידיכם (תוספתא מנחות פ”ז וסע”ר פ”ו ע”ש).

מתוך “למכסה עתיק” של הרב חיים קניבסקי

תשובה לרבנים שמתירים רצח עוברים

ספר הריגת עובר

מהדורא חדשה ומפוארת (שנת תשע”ה) ● לבאר שהריגת עובר מפורש בגמרא שהוא שפיכת דמים וכן דעת כל הראשונים, ולא הותר רק במקום פיקוח נפש, והמתירים להרוג עובר חולה בתסמונת דאון וכיו”ב, אין להם על מי לסמוך

המשך לקרוא את הספר באתר בריתי יצחק – הרב ברנד שליט”א…

The Nature of Israel’s Greatest Ally

Murder Is Washington’s Foreign Policy

By

PaulCraigRoberts.org

March 7, 2016

Washington has a long history of massacring people, for example, the destruction of the Plains Indians by the Union war criminals Sherman and Sheridan and the atomic bombs dropped on Japanese civilian populations, but Washington has progressed from periodic massacres to fulltime massacring. From the Clinton regime forward, a massacre of civilians has become a defining characteristic of the United States of America.

Washington is responsible for the destruction of Yugoslavia and Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and part of Syria.  Washington has enabled Saudi Arabia’s attack on Yemen, Ukraine’s attack on its former Russian provinces, and Israel’s destruction of Palestine and the Palestinian people.

In the article by Mattea Kramer where he points out that Washington has added to its crimes the mass murder of civilians with drones and missile strikes on weddings, funerals, children’s soccer games, medical centers, and people’s homes. Nothing can better illustrate the absence of moral integrity and moral conscience of the American state and the population that tolerates it than the cavalier disregard of the thousands of murdered innocents as “collateral damage.”

If there is any outcry from Washington’s European, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese vassals, it is too muted to be heard in the US.

As Kramer points out, American presidential hopefuls are competing on the basis of who will commit the worst war crimes.  A leading candidate has endorsed torture, despite its prohibition underUS and international law.  The candidate proclaims that “torture works” — as if that is a justification — despite the fact that experts know that it does not work. Almost everyone being tortured will say anything in order to stop the torture.  Most of those tortured in the “war on terror” have proven to have been innocents. They don’t know the answers to the questions even if they were prepared to give truthful answers. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn relates that Soviet dissidents likely to be picked up and tortured by the Soviet secret police would memorize names on gravestones in order to comply with demands for the names of their accomplices. In this way, torture victims could comply with demands without endangering innocents.

Washington’s use of invasion, bombings, and murder by drone as its principle weapon against terrorists is mindless. It shows a government devoid of all intelligence, focused on killing alone. Even a fool understands that violence creates terrorists.  Washington hasn’t even the intelligence of fools.

The American state now subjects US citizens to execution without due process of law despite the strict prohibition by the US Constitution.  Washington’s lawlessness toward others now extends to the American people themselves.

The only possible conclusion is that under Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama the US government has become an unaccountable, lawless, criminal organization and is a danger to the entire world and its own citizens.

From Lewrockwell.com, here.