What this brought to my mind is the mishna in Pirkei Avot (5:12) [1]-- (Translation from new Sim Shalom, since it's the closest to me)
There are four character traits among people. Some say: "Mine is mine and yours is yours" -- this is the average trait. (However, some say this trait is characteristic of Sodom.) "Mine is yours and yours is mine" -- the trait of a peasant [2] "Mine is yours and yours is yours" -- the trait of the saintly "Yours is mine and mine is mine" -- the trait of a scoundrel.
If one accepts that the rule is that each person has to keep their own, then that explains their reaction to the poor man -- they have, he doesn't, they have to keep the status quo. Also the woman who gave what was hers (bread) to the man who didn't have any. Of course, this is ridiculous, and their punishments cruel.
[1] I must confess -- I didn't remember that it was PA 5:12, but rather that it was in PA, and in my favorite chapter (the one organized around numbers! [2] Reuven Hammer, in his book Or Hadash: a commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom: for Shabbat and Festivals (which is what I'm really looking at) has a note on what Sim Shalom translates as "Peasant" noting that the term used is "am ha-aretz", which has a more negative connotation usually than just "peasant". Now I want to go look to see what other translations I have say... no, no time...
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Date: 2017-11-03 11:54 am (UTC)If one accepts that the rule is that each person has to keep their own, then that explains their reaction to the poor man -- they have, he doesn't, they have to keep the status quo. Also the woman who gave what was hers (bread) to the man who didn't have any. Of course, this is ridiculous, and their punishments cruel.
[1] I must confess -- I didn't remember that it was PA 5:12, but rather that it was in PA, and in my favorite chapter (the one organized around numbers!
[2] Reuven Hammer, in his book Or Hadash: a commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom: for Shabbat and Festivals (which is what I'm really looking at) has a note on what Sim Shalom translates as "Peasant" noting that the term used is "am ha-aretz", which has a more negative connotation usually than just "peasant". Now I want to go look to see what other translations I have say... no, no time...