Jewish views of poverty, wealth and charity
[1] In contrast to the consistently negative view of poverty, Kravitz and Olitzky describe a rapidly changing attitude towards acceptance of wealth as desirable as the Hebrews transitioned from being nomadic shepherds to farmers, then ultimately to city dwellers.
"[3] Cosimo Perrotta points out that servile and hired work was not scorned by the Jews of the Tanakh (Sacred Scriptures, so-called "Old Testament").
[9] Kravitz and Olitzky cite the Jubilee (yoveil) and the sh'mitah as examples of commandments in the Torah designed to protect the poor.
"[2] Perrotta asserts that material wealth is highly valued in the Tanakh; the Hebrews seek it and God promises to bless them with it if they will follow his commandments.
"[10] In contrast to the consistently negative view of poverty, Kravitz and Olitzky describe a rapidly changing attitude towards acceptance of wealth as desirable as the Hebrews transitioned from being nomadic shepherds to farmers and ultimately to city dwellers.
They assert that the three divisions in the Tanakh starting with Abraham can be viewed as representing three chronological periods in Jewish history: the wilderness, the land and the city.
Kravitz and Olitzky assert that, during the time of the Patriarchs through the years in the wilderness, wealth seemed to have been "held in common with no real distinctions between the rich and the poor".
However, they note that the possibility for individual wealth arose as the Hebrews transitioned from a nomadic pastoral society to a more agrarian economy.
The transition of Jewish society to an urban economy in the Hellenistic period intensified the societal issues surrounding poverty and wealth.
As such, rabbinical Judaism found it necessary to address the needs of business and commerce including the need to raise money and protect capital investments.
As an example of such accommodations, Kravitz and Olitzky cite Hillel's invention of p'rozbol, a legal fiction to nullify the requirements of the sh'mitah.
"[2] Aaron Levine comments that although the concept of public welfare is an integral part of the modern state, its historical origins are relatively recent, from the late 19th century.
According to Levine, the key concept of the welfare state is that voluntarism alone does not sufficiently address the needs of the poor and the disadvantaged and so government steps in to complement private efforts by establishing programs to guarantee a minimum standard of living and to protect individuals against certain adverse events.
Levine characterizes the Judaic approach to social welfare as a "dual anti-poverty system, consisting of private and public components".
[6] According to Lifshitz, the shift from an agrarian society to an urban one enabled a transformation of charity from the independent actions of individuals to the concerted efforts of groups working in an organized fashion.
[14] Jerry Muller suggests that the Jewish inclination for philanthropy is partially due to a desire to offset resentment that may be felt by those not as wealthy.
