“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 19:10
“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,
but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”
Exodus 23:10,11.
“‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.
Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you.
You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit.”
Leviticus 25:35-37
“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.
This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD'S time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.”
Deuteronomy 15:1,2.
Can you imagine modern financial institutions, governments or even individuals doing the above.
When it comes to money in particular instead of cancelling a debt when someone can’t pay financial institutions put up the interest rate making it even harder for the individual to pay.
Deuteronomy reminds us,
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
Deuteronomy 15:11.
Christians I know are among the most generous in the world when it comes to giving to the needy. Still do we as individual Christians live up to the ideals listed in the above scriptures?
To the Christian businessman I would ask do you forgive debts without making a fuss about it?
I know in my line of business I get written the occasional bad cheque. I’ve been fortunate only once was it deliberate. Most of the time it’s in error. But there have been times when the person has thought they could afford me a couple told me before the event another after the event but offered to pay me later.
I simply said it was on the house. They didn’t owe me anything I could tell it wasn’t deliberate and they probably needed the money more than me.
My son I found approaches things the same way. He owns several houses and two tenants that I know about left him without paying rent. One even damaged the house. When I asked him if he was going after them for the money he said no. “that God understood where those people were at. It wasn’t his place to case after them. Instead he fixed the damage and even without advertizing the house, people asked him if they could rent it. It was a blessing from God.
My son and I are no different. I know of Christian businessmen over the years that have done the same. That have forgiven debts not really looking for a blessing but have received one anyway.
God cares for the individual and he wants us to do the same.
The Talmud tells this story,
“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?” He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
The Talmud.
The Jews have a word for giving to the poor, Tzedakah
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes.
However the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word “charity suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness.
In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply an act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.”
One source told me there are various levels of Tzedakah
The Talmud describes these different levels of tzedakah, and the Rambam organized them into a list. The levels of charity from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are:
Giving begrudgingly
Giving less than you should, bu giving cheerfully,
Giving after being asked
Giving before being asked
Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows yours
Giving when you know and the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know yours.
Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.
Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant.
Something for we Christians to think about.
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