There Shall Be No Needy

Jill Jacobs

Description

How can a Jewish approach to social justice offer positive change for America?

"Ancient texts offer significant wisdom about human nature, economic cycles, the causes of inequality, and our obligations to each other. These insights can inform our own approaches to current issues, challenge our assumptions, and force us to consider alternative approaches. The conversation between our texts and our lives can enrich our experience of both."
—from the Introduction

Confront the most pressing issues of twenty-first-century America in this fascinating book, which brings together classical Jewish sources, contemporary policy debate and real-life stories.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, a leading young voice in the social justice arena, makes a powerful argument for participation in the American public square from a deeply Jewish perspective, while deepening our understanding of the relationship between Judaism and such current social issues as:

Poverty and the Poor
Collection and Allocation of Tzedakah
Workers, Employers and Unions
Housing the Homeless
The Provision of Health Care
Environmental Sustainability
Crime, Punishment and Rehabilitation

By creating a dialogue between traditional texts and current realities, Jacobs presents a template for engagement in public life from a Jewish perspective and challenges us to renew our obligations to each other.

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD xi
Preface by Simon Greer xvii

INTRODUCTION
The Search for an Integrated Judaism 1

1 A VISION OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE 9

2 ESSENTIAL TERMS
Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, and Prophetic Judaism 24

3 DEFINING POVERTY AND THE POOR 49

4 SUFFICIENT FOR ONE'S NEEDS
The Collection and Allocation of Tzedakah 79

5 SERVANTS TO SERVANTS OR SERVANTS TO GOD
Workers, Employers, and Unions 97

6 THEY SHALL TREMBLE NO MORE
Housing and Homelessness 132

7 I WILL REMOVE ILLNESS FROM WITHIN YOUR MIDST
The Provision of Health Care 159

8 THE CITY AND THE GARDEN
Environmental Sustainability for the
Twenty-first Century 179

9 WHEN YOUR BROTHER IS FLOGGED
Crime, Punishment, and Rehabilitation 192

CONCLUSION
Judaism in the Public Sphere 214

Notes 222
Glossary 247
Suggestions for Further Reading 251
Index 252

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Jewish ethics
• Jewish philosophy
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580235600
• Langue: English

Extrait

There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition
2010 Quality Paperback Edition, First Printing 2009 Hardcover Edition, First Printing 2009 by Jill Jacobs Foreword 2009 by Elliot N. Dorff Preface 2009 by Simon Greer
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request in writing to Jewish Lights Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail].
The author gratefully acknowledges the following for permission to use adaptations of previously published material: Pp. 9-23, A Jewish Vision for Economic Justice, in Righteous Indignation : A Jewish Call for Justice , edited by Rabbi Or N. Rose, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, and Margie Klein, published by Jewish Lights, Woodstock, VT, 2007, pp. 147-154; pp. 25-49, The History of Tikkun Olam , in Zeek ( www.zeek.net ), June 2007; pp. 51-81, Toward a Halakhic Definition of Poverty, reprinted with permission from Conservative Judaism 57:1 (Fall 2004): 3-20; pp. 83-100, Smart Tzedakah , a publication of Jewish Funds for Justice, 2008 2004 the Rabbinical Assembly; pp. 101-136, The Living Wage: A Jewish Approach, reprinted with permission from Conservative Judaism 55:3 (Spring 2003): 38-51 2003 the Rabbinical Assembly; Work, Workers, and the Jewish Owner, by Jill Jacobs 2008 the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jacobs, Jill, 1975-
There shall be no needy : pursuing social justice through Jewish law and tradition / by Jill Jacobs ; foreword by Elliot N. Dorff ; preface by Simon Greer.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58023-394-1 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-58023-394-5 (hardcover)
1. Social justice-Religious aspects-Judaism. 2. Judaism and social problems-United States. 3. Judaism-20th century. 4. Rabbinical literature-History and criticism. 5. Jewish ethics. I. Title.
BM645.J8J33 2009
296.3'8-dc22 2008055280
ISBN-13: 978-1-58023-425-2 (quality pbk.) ISBN-10: 1-58023-425-9 (quality pbk.)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Manufactured in the United States of America Cover Design: Jenny Buono
Published by Jewish Lights Publishing A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc. Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237 Woodstock, VT 05091 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] www.jewishlights.com
Praise for There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition
What a pleasure to read Rabbi Jill Jacobs and to discover an exciting new voice addressing enduring and timely questions of Judaism and social justice. Jacobs brings a perspective honed through personal experience as an activist coupled with deep love and respect for traditional Jewish texts. Through her we hear an authentic American Jewish response to the challenges of poverty, inequality, and injustice.
-Deborah Dash Moore, editor, American Jewish Identity Politics
A spectacular tour de force ! Weaving her insightful reading of traditional Jewish texts with her real-world experience as an activist, Rabbi Jill Jacobs presents deeply felt recommendations to shape American public policy toward the crucial issues of the day: poverty, worker s rights, homelessness, health care, crime, and the environment. Must reading for every synagogue board member, communal leader, and community organizer in America, beginning with President Obama!
-Dr. Ron Wolfson, president, Synagogue 3000; Fingerhut Professor of Education, American Jewish University; author, God s To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God s Work on Earth
A wonderful resource for anyone seeking both breadth and depth of Jewish teachings on social and economic justice. Rabbi Jacobs brings a nuanced, honest appraisal of Jewish text and tradition to her subject, and in so doing provides new paradigms for wrestling with the most contentious issues facing American society today, from eradicating poverty to the health care crisis to the failures of the criminal justice system. There Shall Be No Needy marks a significant step forward in the formation of a uniquely Jewish contribution to American public policy debates.
-Rabbi Toba Spitzer, Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Newton, Massachusetts; former president, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
By using and explaining the mandates and definitions of Jewish law, historical analyses, the messages of midrash , and the stories of her own life, Rabbi Jacobs takes the reader on an honest journey through the Jewish pathways for dealing with some of the most important social justice issues of our time. One does not need to be a scholar to appreciate her book. This is a must-read for Jews and non-Jews seeking to understand the foundation of the Jewish drive to repair this broken world.
-Steve Gutow, executive director, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jill Jacobs is a welcome new voice to the field of Jewish social justice. Her impressive knowledge of Jewish texts and her familiarity with social policy make her book an important contribution to the debate on what Judaism has to say about the most important public issues of our day.
-Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, author, Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World ; founder and president, PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values
Rabbi Jill Jacobs is one of the most gifted Jewish thinkers and activists of our generation. There Shall Be No Needy is a vital contribution to the burgeoning field of contemporary religious writings on issues of social justice and environmental responsibility. This book is a must-read for all concerned with the future of Judaism and its role in the healing of the world.
-Rabbi Or N. Rose, director, Interfaith Social Justice Initiatives, Hebrew College; coeditor, Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice
What Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, Ron Sider, Alexia Kelley, Chuck Collins, and others have done for Christian readers, Rabbi Jill Jacobs is doing for Jewish readers: helping them apply the rich resources of their faith tradition to today s issues of justice and compassion in our world. Christians, Muslims, and others will benefit as well from this beautifully written, solidly researched, and eminently accessible book. It models a humble yet passionate approach to anyone seeking to do justice and love kindness as they walk humbly with our Creator.
-Brian McLaren, author/speaker/activist (brianmclaren.net); author, Everything Must Change
A clear and courageous call to speak from our sources and bring an unabashedly Jewish voice to today s most critical issues of justice.
-Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, program director, Jewish Life and Values, the Nathan Cummings Foundation
Articulate and compelling, both clarion call and proof text, There Shall Be No Needy offers a nuanced, substantial look at Judaism s engagement with public life-one that is all too urgently needed. We re commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves, and this book helps us understand how to do that in a world whose complexity defies easy answers.
-Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author, Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion ; editor, Yentl s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism
For Guy
CONTENTS

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD
Preface by Simon Greer
INTRODUCTION
The Search for an Integrated Judaism
1 A VISION OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE
2 ESSENTIAL TERMS
Tikkun Olam, Tzedek , and Prophetic Judaism
3 DEFINING POVERTY AND THE POOR
4 SUFFICIENT FOR ONE S NEEDS
The Collection and Allocation of Tzedakah
5 SERVANTS TO SERVANTS OR SERVANTS TO GOD
Workers, Employers, and Unions
6 THEY SHALL TREMBLE NO MORE
Housing and Homelessness
7 I WILL REMOVE ILLNESS FROM WITHIN YOUR MIDST
The Provision of Health Care
8 THE CITY AND THE GARDEN
Environmental Sustainability for the Twenty-first Century
9 WHEN YOUR BROTHER IS FLOGGED
Crime, Punishment, and Rehabilitation

CONCLUSION
Judaism in the Public Sphere

Notes
Glossary
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index

About Jewish Lights
Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T his book is the product of countless conversations with friends, teachers, colleagues, scholars, activists, and policy professionals. For fear of forgetting someone, I will not try to name everyone whose insights have contributed to my thinking about the intersection of Judaism, public policy, and life in America. I do, however, want to thank a few people who read and commented on individual chapters, previous incarnations of individual chapters, or the entire book: Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Simon Greer, Laura Jackson, Jeff Mandell, Sara Rostolder Mandell, Mik Moore, Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Dr. Robert Pollin, Dr. Mayer Rabinowitz, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, and Rabbi Larry Troster. Their contributions have certainly improved this work; mistakes, of course, remain my own. Thank you also to Debbie Mukamal and Sarah From, whose thinking very much shaped my explorations of criminal justice; Dr. Alyssa Gray for her thoughts and advice about tzedakah ; and Rabbi David Ellenson and Rabbi Or Rose for their many suggestions and words of support along the way. Thank you also to my colleagues at Jewish Funds for Justice for their immeasurable enthusiasm and encouragement throughout the writing process. And a special thank you to Stuart M. Matlins, publisher of Jewish Lights, and Emily Wichland, vice president of Editorial and Production, for their extraordinary guidance through every step of the publishing process.
I also want to acknowledge my parents, Paula and David Jacobs; and my in-laws, Dan, Ziona, and Karen Austrian, for their support thr