The Poor in Deuteronomy

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The Poor in Deuteronomy

Trevor Peterson

c. 2004

1 Introduction

1.1 Why study about the poor?

Both OT and NT indicate that the poor will always be around (Matt 26:11).How to deal with them has always been an issue for societies to face. Theway we handle this issue, like any other, affects the picture of Christ thatwe present to the world. This year at Bethany, were particularly concernedabout developing our sensibilities to this area as a church.

1.2 Why study about the poor in the Torah?

The easy answer is that the Torah has something to say about the poor. Butwhy should that in particular concern us? A lot of literature has somethingto say about the poor. Is it not also valuable? Yes, in its own way, mostsuch literature probably is valuable. But there is a unique value to studyingabout this issue in the Torah.

First, we need to talk about what the Torah is. You probably wonthear the term used as much by Christians as by Jews, but I have someparticular reasons for using it here. A common translation of the Hebrewword Torah is law. When we encounter the word law in the NT andother Christian discussion, Torah is generally in the background. Perhaps

a better English equivalent is teaching or instruction. In this sense,Torah is Gods instruction to the Jews about how they should live. (Theterm applied here is halakha, which comes from the idea to walk, referringto ones manner of walking through life, or ones conduct.) A simplisticdescription of the Torah says that it comprises the first five books of the

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Bible, also called the five books of Moses or the Pentateuch. This material

contains more than just laws, in the formal sense. The book of Genesis(Breshit in Hebrew), for instance, is mostly stories about the Patriarchs, wholived centuries before the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai. Torah is in fact theheading given to these books in the Jewish description of their Bible (partof the three-fold divisionTorah, Neviim (prophets), Ktuvim (writings)abbreviated TaNaKh). But a printed copy that contains the five books issimply called a Chumash, from the Hebrew word for five. These booksconstitute the written Torah, but the Torah as a whole is a bigger concept.So study of the Torah in Jewish thought means more than interacting withthese five books.

Various passages within the Bible indicate that there was more to the

Torah than what was written in the five books. Deut 17 refers to the highcourt that must settle legal disputes too difficult for local officials to resolve.It is to be found in conjunction with the central place of worship for allIsrael and to contain priestly members. Its decisions are described here asbinding, in the same strong language used elsewhere to express the severityof disobeying the commands given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Thus,there was to be a lasting institution of oral judgments that would clarifymatters of Torah for the people. Because these judgments were binding, itmakes sense that they would have been handed down in a continuing legaltradition from generation to generation. At the time of Jesus, the Sanhedrin

was the high court of the Jews, and the Pharisees dominated its operation.Jesus may have labeled the Pharisees as hypocrites, but at the same time heacknowledged the binding authority of their rulings (Matt 23:13).

Around the same time that the NT was being written, this rabbinic tra-dition was being taught in the schools of Palestinefirst in the area aroundJerusalem, but later after the destruction of Jerusalem in Galilee. The tra-dition and method of dissemination were oral, as opposed to the writtenScriptures, and the term assigned to this tradition is the oral Torah. In theearly centuries of this era, students committed their teachers discussions towriting in what has been collected and codified as the Mishna (meaning,repetition). The Mishna was circulated as a fixed body of material in

what remained of the Jewish community in Palestine but also in the distant,more active Jewish communities of Babylonia. By this time, Aramaic wasthe dominant language of Jewish scholarship in both regions, and furtherdiscussion based on the Hebrew Mishna was eventually recorded in whatscalled Gemara. While the Mishna is shared between Babylonia and Pales-

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tine, each developed its own Gemara. Together, the Mishna and the Gemara

are referred to as the Talmud (meaning, study), and the Babylonian Tal-mud is considered the more authoritative of the two. (It is also considerablylonger.)

Torah, therefore, is a broader entity than just the five books. The writtenTorah holds a privileged position, because its very words were given by Godto Moses. But the oral Torah embodied most fully in the Talmud Bavli(Babylonian) clarifies the details of how the written Torah must be carriedout. For example, the written Torah forbids work on the Sabbath but doesnot explain what counts as work and what does not. (If we were left withthe definition from physics, normal bodily functions would be forbidden.) Itdoes not go into detail about where exceptions are allowed (for instance, can

one work to save a life?). These issues are clarified in the oral Torah, so thatthe command not to work on the Sabbath can be carried out in real life.Indeed, it makes sense that the oral Torah would be necessary, since so muchpractical detail is omitted from how the written Torah should be enacted.

Now, at this point you may be wondering, why dont we Christians studythe Talmud if all this is true? Well, a distinctive feature of Christianityis the relationship between the Christian and the Torah. Paul explains inRomans that we can begin a right relationship with God apart from theTorah. Because Jesus fulfilled the Torah perfectly, those who place their faithin him are viewed as though they have fulfilled it themselves. In Galatians,

he explains that we continue in our relationship with God by living accordingto the Spirit that he places within us. Central to his argument is that theresno reason a Gentile must become Jewish to please God. It may surpriseyou to learn that this is also what Jews believe today. The Torah was givenspecifically to the Jewish people, and no one else is obligated to follow it.Instead, Gentiles are required to keep the seven commands of Noah (really,six of them preceded Noah; but with Noah the set of commands for Gentilesis complete): do not commit idolatry, do not blaspheme God, do not kill, donot steal, do not engage in sexual immorality, do not eat meat taken from ananimal while alive, and establish courts to enforce the other six. The Talmudelaborates on the nuts and bolts of these seven commands, but they are a far

cry from the 613 commands of the Torah given to the Jews. If a person wantsto become a Jew and keep the Torah, that option is available. But it is notthe only recognized way to God. Incidentally, this set of commands is verysimilar to the instructions given in the letter sent to the Gentile believersafter the Jerusalem council in Acts 15. (It should be noted, though, that

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Orthodox Jews today would consider belief in the deity of Christ a form of

blasphemy, so that as they interpret the Noahic commands, Christians arenot righteous Gentiles.)So if the Torah is not binding on Christians, we again have to ask why

this study is relevant. Well, even if it is not an obligation on us today, thereis nothing wrong with following it by choice. For that matter, much of whatthe Torah advocates is also part of Christian ethics, so that living accordingto the Spirit results in the fulfillment of what the Torah commands. It shouldbe understood that these are two different things, however. Part of the valueof the Torah to the Jewish people is that they are uniquely obligated to fulfillit. When they do what is commanded for them and no one else, their actionis worth more than the same action by someone who does it simply because

it seems like a good idea. Still, the Torah is there as a set of teachings givenby God. Even if it is not binding on us in particular, it shows us an ethicalstandard that he has instituted. And if were curious what the Spirit wantsus to do with the poor, such a standard can be a very good thing to have.

1.3 Why study about the poor in Deuteronomy?

In this study, we will not be looking at the whole Torah per se but at thebook of Deuteronomy (Dvarim in Hebrew). Why this book in particular?The answer starts with an acknowledgment that we cannot cover everythingthat the Torah has to say about this matter in adequate depth over the courseof four sessions. By focusing on a relatively small set of statements, we canstrive for some sort of comprehensive treatment of those statements, whileusing them as a springboard into other areas of the Torah. Of course, like somany things in life, all of this is after-the-fact, upside-down justification for adecision that was initially pragmatic. I have to study Deuteronomy anywayfor my doctoral comps, which makes it a good place to focus some attention.

2 Texts and Questions

1. What about Gods character are the Israelites called to follow (10:1819)? Why? What are the consequences of failure (27:1819)? Howdoes remembering where weve come from help us in our treatment ofothers?

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2. How are the Israelites supposed to treat escaped slaves (23:1617)?

According to Rashi, this law refers to an Israelite slave owned by aGentile or a slave outside of Israel who escapes to Israel. How does thetreatment of slaves affect us today?

3. What is the purpose of the Sabbath (5:1415)? Who are the mostimportant participants? Why? How is the Sabbath an economic prob-lem?

4. Who participates in worship (12:12, 18)? Who participates in feasts(16:1114)? How can we give the poor and underprivileged cause tocelebrate? What would happen if we only provided for them to cele-brate?

5. What is done with the tithe every third year (14:29)? Why? Whatabout the regular tithe(26:1113)? These two tithes are taken togetheras the second tithe, which is distinguished from that paid to theLevites (Sifre Deut 109.3). The third-year tithe can be paid to a familymember only if it is over and above a subsistence allotment given fromother resources (Kiddushin 32a). How does the tithe discussed hererelate to our giving and tithing? How do the poor factor into it?

6. Will there always be poor in the land or not (15:4, 11)? Why should oneloan to a poor brother rather than give outright (15:78)? How does

15:910 clarify the nature of the loan? Doing the will of God determinesthe presence or absence of the poor (Sifre Deut 114.1). Loaning ratherthan giving protects the recipients dignity (Deut 116.4). The commandis to meet needs, not make rich, but it can still involve larger items likehorses and slaves (Sifre Deut 116.5). Punishment is quicker if he criesout but still comes otherwise (Sifre Deut 117.4). How does a personsrelationship to us (member of the same church, fellow believer, familymember, etc.) affect charity?

7. How should one treat a slave who has completed his period of service(15:1215)? Why? In what sense has a slave given double service(15:18)? According to Rashi, this passage refers to a thief sentencedto slavery (cf. Lev 25:39). Give according to your prosperity, notparticularly according to whether this slave has resulted in prosperityfor you (Sifre Deut 119.3). Furnish liberally because of the liberal

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furnishing at the Exodus (Sifre Deut 120.1). A hired man works only

by day, but a slave both day and night (Sifre Deut 123.1). Accordingto Rashi, this is because his children belong to the owner (cf. Exod21:4). How do we view people in a lower economic class? What aboutthose who are in prison? How do we treat them when their situationimproves? What can we learn from the law regarding a slave whofinishes his term of service?

8. Why is a poor debtor singled out for special consideration (24:1013)?How is a widow special (24:1718)? Punishment is quicker if he is poorbut still comes otherwise (Sifre Deut 277.1). Not necessarily sleepingin the pledge but sleeping with it in ones possession (Sifre Deut 277.2).

Return the pledge by day if used by day, by night if used by night (SifreDeut 277.3). How do we balance compassion with business?

9. How should a poor employee be treated (24:1415)? cf. Deut 16:19;more guilt is incurred when status is compounded (Sifre Deut 281.1).

10. How can agricultural practice help the poor (24:1922)? Only one ortwo sheaves count as forgotten (Sifre Deut 283.1). A sheaf in an obvi-ous place is not forgotten (Sifre Deut 283.4). There is no limit to thecorner of a field (Chagigah 7a; cf. Lev 19:9). If unintentional char-ity (forgetting) gains merit, intentional gains much more (Sifre Deut

283.7). How do the agricultural practices in the Torah compare withtodays economic systems and relief programs? How can we practicethis kind of generosity in our own lives?

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The Poor in Deuteronomy

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