http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=235488
The Torah’s take on social justice
Halachacontains clear stances on social issues
Rabbi Shlomo Ishon says Halacha contains clear stances on socialissues.
Everybody has anopinion on how the country’s economy should improve, just ask Prof. ManuelTrajtenberg, whose committee is busy hearing testimonies and suggestions fromthe public and experts, as well as reading over a thousand writtenopinions.
One suchdocumentreceived by his teamon Thursday represents not just the small group of experts who wrote it, butattempts to provide the economists – commissioned by the prime minister to findmeasures to make life in Israel easier – with the stance of Jewish law andthought to the recent social awakening here.
According to theKeter Institute for Economy According to Torah, “economically speaking, Judaismis closer to capitalism than socialism, in that it doesn’t tend to get involvedin the free market, while socially, the Torah is closer to socialism, inemphasizing the responsibility for society’s weaker members,” the documentstates in its introduction.
It then lays out a number of principles, including the the government’s role in housing and education, increasing thesupply of apartments by selling land to contractors who commit to building themost living units on it, and not taking taxes from minimum incomefamilies.
All of this is based on sources such as the Talmud, Maimonidesand the Shulhan Aruch, which are referred to in the footnotes of thedocument.
But can one really encompass the wealth and variety of Jewishsources and thought from the different eras and traditions into one finitestatement? To a great degree, yes, says Rabbi Shlomo Ishon, who heads Keteralongside Rabbi Yitzhak Bazak.
To say that this is the Torah’s soleopinion on the topic would be pretentious, he explained.
“But Halachacertainly contains clear stances on these issues, besides the general sayingthat Jewish law is in favor ofsocialjustice. There are higher resolution arguments here, such as the fact that Halacha is infavor of a free market.
“You can find different approaches andarguments,” Ishon noted, “but as a point of view – I think this is clearly theHalacha’s.”
Ishon also pointed to the fact that issues addressed in theletter, such as supervision over staple products, and limiting the state’s gainsfrom selling lands, are taken from undisputed sources such as Maimonides and theShulhan Aruch.
The Keter Institute has been conducting research on Torahand economics for 17 years, on issues such as conducting contracts according toJewish law, fraud, interest, andkeeping Shabbat in a modern economy.
The institute – which includesrabbis, academics and businessmen who meet on a regular basis – also publishesbooks on such topics, and the eighth title – about to come out – deals withinsurance in the light of Halacha.
Ishon said that Trajtenberg’scommittee confirmedreceivingthe letter, and saidthey would publish it.
While the Torah has a say on this topic, as on others, the letter is not an attempt to have the Torah replace economy and its experts, said Ishon.
“Halacha is not seeking to come in the place of economists, but rather show the economy a direction,” he said, analogizing from the field of medicine.
“Halacha can, and should, determine the limits of life-endangering situations, prioritizing medical treatment and so forth. But the actual medical treatment will be applied by doctors.
“Here too, whether the market should be a free one, whether capitalism or socialism should be preferred, whether the market should be open to supervision – Halacha has what to say on all of these questions.
For example, we write in the document that the state should ensure minimal existence. But the exact definitions of what minimal existence constitutes will be determined by economists,” said Ishon
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