What Jewish Wisdom Would You Offer Today’s Billionaires?

RECONSTRUCTIONIST

The Torah warns against extreme economic inequality, a piece of Jewish wisdom that is important for all of us, not just billionaires, to hear. Deuteronomy lays out a roadmap of laws that seeks to prevent such inequality, including regular annual tithing as well as periodic resource redistribution in the sabbatical and Jubilee years. These laws apply to the whole society and not just the wealthy. We must all work to build a society whose laws and policies ensure that everyone is valued and taken care of.

Some extremely wealthy people already do that admirably. Others bring to mind Isaiah’s warning: “Woe to those who add house to house and field to field, till there is room for none but you to dwell in the land” (Isaiah 5:8). Any one of us lucky enough to have attained great success must remind ourselves of Deuteronomy’s warning: “Beware lest your heart grow haughty…and you say to yourselves, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me’” (Deuteronomy 8:17). When we take this warning to heart, we can loosen our grasp on our own possessions and devote ourselves to sharing what we have, working with others to build a society based on the Torah’s teachings of justice and compassion.

Rabbi Caryn Broitman
Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center
Vineyard Haven, MA