Social Responsibility The Jewish people are highly attuned to the idea of being responsible to society and the world. Jews give charity in far greater proportion than others. For example, the United Jewish Appeal raises $750 million annually, making it the third largest charity in the U.S., after the Red Cross and the United Way. Keep in mind that Jews constitute about 2% of the total population of the U.S. When you see a human being in distress, you have an obligation to help him. Judaism mandates positive behavior, which is a unique innovation in law. In other legal systems, its not a crime to be a bystander, even in America today. In Judaism, however, social consciousness is a legal obligation, as the Torah states: Do not stand by your neighbors blood (Leviticus 19:16). Im a good person, I dont hurt anyone is not the Jewish understanding of a good person. Being a good person requires us to take action, not just avoid evil. Youre either part of the problem or part of the solution. The message that Judaism teaches is that you are responsible for the world. The Talmud teaches that every person must say to himself, The world was created for me, not as a statement of ultimate self-centeredness, rather out of a sense of unique responsibility for the world. This is my world and I’m it’s caretaker. If there’s a problem, I’ve got to do something about it. The obligation to fix the world” is referred to in Jewish writings as Tikun Olam. Jewish law is very specific about our obligation toward others, including how much money one should give to charity, what percentage of crops belong to the poor, hosting guests, visiting the sick and other acts of kindness. Every Jewish community throughout history had a social welfareinfrastructure. Martin Gilbert, in A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People, notes that 100 years ago, 5 million Jews lived in poverty and oppression in the giant ghetto of Eastern Europe called the Pale of Jewish settlement. Of those 5 million, none of whom were wealthy, 14-25% lived off community charity. Thats a minimum of 700,000 people supported by the community. Being responsible for the world includes animals and the environment. In Jewish law, you cannot eat before your animal eats. Youre not allowed to be cruel to an animal. If you see an animal in distress, you have to help it. You cant cut down a fruit tree, even in a time of war.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 02:30:01 +0000
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