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Shabbat Re'eh (2026)

Shabbat Re’eh

Dvar Torah - Radical Responsibility
This week the Torah introduces to the mitzvah of Tzedaka (charity). Embedded within the narrative of this commandment is a paradox. On the one hand the Torah promises that "there shall be no needy among you," but just a few verses later states that "the needy shall never cease from the land."

How do we reconcile this?

The 19th century commentator Rav Shimshon Rephael Hirsch explains that the phrase "from the land" refers to the natural order of the world. Even if two people begin life with the exact same resources, variables like health, family circumstances, and personal abilities will inevitably create disparity. Left to its own devices, the natural course of a society guarantees that some people will live in poverty.

However, the Torah does not want us to simply accept this natural order, but highlights what happens in "the land" generally, versus what is incumbent on us in "your land." This subtle distinction highlights the Torah’s demand for Jewish society to take radical responsibility for the vulnerable. Indeed, our duty is not merely to ensure that charitable funds exist, but to actively build the distribution channels and systems required to reach and uplift those in need.

This ethos of profound empathy and responsibility is famously espoused by Maimonides, who taught that there are eight levels of charity. These levels are not measured by the size of the check, but by their capacity to preserve the dignity of the recipient. The absolute highest form of charity is not a hand-out, but a hand-up of giving someone a job, a business loan, or going into a partnership with them. The goal is to empower a person to get back on their feet with their pride intact.

This is the vision of societal responsibility the Torah is teaching us. We are tasked with actively counteracting the natural course of human disparity. It requires us to open our hearts, our checkbooks, and our calendars to ensure that the funds, institutions, and relationships exist to build a society without poverty.

Shabbat in/out times
Yerushalayim - 18:51/20:09
Tel-Aviv - 19:11/20:11
Johannesburg – 17:27/18:21
Paris – 21:02/22:13
NYC 19:46/20:48
San Francisco – 19:54/20:53
Lima 17:45/18:36

Shabbat Shalom!




 

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