Re’eh 5780-2020
Re'eh 5780-2020
“Changing and Updating Jewish Law”
(updated and revised from parashat Re’eh 5762-2002)
In parashat Re’eh, we learn of the practice known as shmitat k’safim, of forgiving debts in the seventh year of the Sabbatical cycle. However, because of a proclamation by Hillel the Elder known as Pruzbul , the law of forgiving the debts has hardly ever been practiced. How was Hillel able to cancel a law of the Torah through, what seem to be, legal devices and loopholes?
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Re’eh 5779-2019
“Charity! The Investment That Keeps Giving”
(Revised and updated from Re’eh 5760-2000)
A major theme of this week’s parasha concerns how to deal with the impoverished members of the Jewish community. Rather than an act of kindness, the Torah regards “charity” as the right thing to do and a fundamental concept of life and morality.
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Re’eh 5762-2002
"Changing and Updating Jewish Law"
In parashat Re'eh, we learn about the practice of forgiving debts in the seventh year of the Sabbatical cycle known as shmitat k'safim. However, because of a proclamation known as pruzbul, by Hillel the Elder, the law of forgiving the debts has hardly ever been practiced. How was Hillel able to cancel a law of the Torah through what seem to be legal devices and loopholes?
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Re’eh 5761-2001
"Charity! The Investment with the Greatest Return"
In this parasha, the Jewish people are told to care for their poor. "Thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut their hand from thy poor brother." Judaism has a rather unique understanding of charity, arguing that the poor person is doing a kindness to the donor, rather than the other way around. It is no wonder that with this deeply ingrained charitable philosophy, the Jewish people have always excelled in charitability. Unfortunately, as Jews move further away from tradition, they have become less and less charitable.
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