Water Over Rocks: "taking another look at the Mishnah, an early collection of rabbinic law, and in particular I'm interested in early forms of ethical and moral mandate to care for the poor. In the first several tractates--Brachot, Peah, and Demai--we find that care for the poor and our obligations to others economic well-being are expressed through the tithing of food and agriculture--a Biblical commandment that was honed and refined by the Sages, living nearly 1500 years after Moses received Torah from God on Mount Sinai.
One question that is often on my mind as I look at these ancient texts--especially today, when the latest Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry likens the payment of taxes to a system of slavery under Pharaoh--is whether the Sages would have found this adamant opposition to taxes as onerous as certain religio-political leaders like Governor Perry do. Their worlds are so different and nearly impossible to compare but nevertheless, it's a useful exercise."
'via Blog this'
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