In memory of Jewish martyrs Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky who were murdered last evening in Washington DC.
This week’s portion of Behar-Behukotai could not be more timely. The Torah portion of Behar teaches that when the Israelites were to enter the land, every family was to receive an equal allotment of land. Over the course of decades, some would become rich and some poor but in the 50th year, called the Jubilee, all land would revert back to the original owners and the wealth distribution would “re-set”. In other words, the Biblical ideal was that wealth would never be concentrated in the hands of a few for more than roughly one generation.
This is the exact opposite of the direction of our society, as wealth continues to pour upwards into the hands of a few, and more and more fall into poverty. The recent bill passed by the House is designed to hasten this inequality and deepen the suffering of the poor. To our leaders who call themselves faithful Christians (and a few Jews too)-for shame, for shame.
From Rabbi Doug Sagal aka “the Boxing Rabbi”