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The Torah Requires Us to Help the Poor and Needy, But Also Take Personal Accountability

A Torah scroll. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”

This quote from the 19th-century French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville reflects the hopeful dream of an Americophile in 1840, calling on the country he had fallen in love with to address the gnawing flaw in its system — slavery — before it was too late.

Unfortunately, that call was not heeded, and the destructive Civil War became the means by which the nation ultimately repaired itself. While de Tocqueville would undoubtedly have viewed the Civil War as a terrible and avoidable trauma, he likely would have considered it an aberration in the grander scheme. For him, the United States represented the ultimate realization of goodness in human governance and cultural advancement.

De Tocqueville remains perhaps the most insightful commentator on American life since its inception. Above all, he marveled at the American dedication to equality. Remarkably, his reflections — published in a pair of volumes titled Democracy in America — continue to resonate nearly two centuries later, not merely for their historical insight, but for their uncanny relevance to contemporary American society and civic life.

De Tocqueville dissected the American psyche with surgical precision, revealing the persistent tension between populism and elitism, prosperity and poverty, and the propensity for rugged individualism alongside communal responsibility.

As he traveled across the young nation, de Tocqueville encountered a society unlike that of his native France or indeed any other European country — defined by rigid class hierarchies. Instead, Americans were passionately committed to the idea that every person, regardless of birth or status, should have the opportunity to succeed.

This commitment to equality was not without its paradoxes and imperfections — slavery still tainted the landscape, and Indigenous peoples were mistreated and displaced — but the relentless drive toward equality was unmistakable. For de Tocqueville, this was the essence of America’s greatness and its unique spirit: a society striving toward a more just and equitable future, even if it stumbled and stuttered along the way.

But where did this American ideal come from? De Tocqueville noted that American society’s moral and ethical underpinnings were deeply rooted in religious tradition, particularly the Puritans’ engagement with Biblical teachings.

The Puritans were the original settlers, and they laid the groundwork for the fledgling colonies — heavily influenced by the Hebrew Scriptures and seeing themselves as a new Israel tasked with building a “City upon a Hill.”

As de Tocqueville observed, “Religion in America … must be regarded as the first of their political institutions.”

Indeed, many debates about justice, fairness, and equality that dominate American discourse today trace their origins back to Biblical values.

Recent studies have exposed the growing divide between rich and poor in modern America. A 2023 Pew Research Center study revealed that economic inequality has reached its most extreme point in half a century. Some argue for more robust government intervention to deal with the problem — by taxing the wealthy, expanding social welfare, and protecting workers’ rights.

Others advocate for greater economic freedom, suggesting that the best way to elevate the poor is by encouraging market forces and reducing regulation. But both sides, whether they realize it or not, are wrestling with questions that were addressed by the Torah thousands of years ago.

Consider the ongoing battle over the minimum wage. Advocates for raising the minimum wage insist that in a just society, no one who works full-time should live in poverty. Their opponents claim that raising the minimum wage will lead to job losses, stifle economic growth, and increase poverty.

This tension is not new. It reflects an ancient debate about the balance between fairness and freedom, and the rights of the individual versus the needs of the community.

In Parshat Ki Teitzei, the Torah confronts these very issues head-on, offering a blueprint for a society that balances economic opportunity with social responsibility.

In Ki Teitzei, the Torah instructs the Israelites, “Do not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or a stranger in your land” (Deut. 24:14). This law is not merely about fair wages; it is about recognizing the inherent dignity of every person. Whether an Israelite or an outsider, the worker must be treated with respect and fairness.

The Torah anticipated the modern debate over wages by making it clear that economic interactions are not just transactions governed by self-interest, but rather they are moral encounters that must reflect society’s values.

The 19th-century commentator Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch understood these laws as far more than just economic policy. He saw them as a call to build a community where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their economic status.

“The Torah is not satisfied with a society that only practices charity; it demands a society based on justice. It is not enough for those who have more to give to those who have less; rather, society must be built on a foundation where the rights of every individual are respected and upheld.” Bottom line: it’s not about charity; it’s about justice.

The Torah does not shy away from economic realities but always frames them within a broader ethical context. In a society governed by Torah values, every person has responsibilities: the wealthy must support the poor, employers must treat employees fairly, and judges must apply the law without prejudice.

But the Torah also insists on personal accountability. For example, the commandment to return lost property requires individuals to take active steps to ensure they honor their civic duty and strive for something more than just taking care of themselves and their families. This mirrors modern debates about personal responsibility versus societal obligations, urging a balanced approach that integrates both.

Unlike modern systems that often veer between extremes — total government control or laissez-faire capitalism — the Torah offers a middle path. It recognizes the importance of private property and economic initiative but insists on a framework that protects the vulnerable. It acknowledges human ambition while warning against exploitation.

De Tocqueville might have been surprised to learn just how deeply the American ethos of equality and justice is rooted in ancient Jewish teachings. By observing America’s unique commitment to these ideals, which he so admired and championed, he was indirectly paying homage to the Torah’s blueprint for society.

The Jewish vision of justice is not about creating a so-called utopia of absolute equality, which in practice often drags everyone down to the lowest common denominator. Instead, it seeks to build a society where each person has the opportunity to thrive, where the poor are not exploited, and where every individual, from the widow to the laborer, is treated with dignity and respect.

As we approach what is turning out to be one of the most contentious elections in modern history, living up to de Tocqueville’s hopeful ideal — that America’s greatness lies in her ability to repair her faults — will require a herculean effort.

De Tocqueville was concerned that the path to repair not descend into internecine violence or the chaos of destructive struggles that tear society apart. Tragically, that is exactly what happened in the Civil War.

We cannot and must not let it happen again. Instead, we need to draw on the wisdom of the Torah’s teachings alongside America’s foundational ideals so that we can keep the great American project on track.

By embracing these principles — justice balanced with mercy, and freedom tempered with responsibility — we can work towards a society that truly embodies justice and compassion, in which America’s promise of equality is not a hollow ideal but a lived reality.

The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.

The post The Torah Requires Us to Help the Poor and Needy, But Also Take Personal Accountability first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials

FILE PHOTO: The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

i24 NewsIranian and Iran-affiliated media claimed on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence materials related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.

“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” Iran’s state broadcaster said, referring to Israel in the manner accepted in those Muslim or Arab states that don’t recognize its legitimacy. The statement was also relayed by the Lebanese site Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with the Iran-backed jihadists of Hezbollah.

The reports did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.

The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it added.

According to the reports, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation and included a vast volume of materials including documents, images, and videos.”

The report comes amid high tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, over which it is in talks with the US administration of President Donald Trump.

Iranian-Israeli tensions reached an all-time high since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, including Iranian rocket fire on Israel and Israeli aerial raids in Iran that devastated much of the regime’s air defenses.

Israel, which regards the prospect of the antisemitic mullah regime obtaining a nuclear weapon as an existential threat, has indicated it could resort to a military strike against Iran’s installations should talks fail to curb uranium enrichment.

The post Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

Nattapong Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian terrorist group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.

Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.

Israel’s military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week.

There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive.

The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase.

Israel has since expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.

US-BACKED AID GROUP HALTS DISTRIBUTIONS

The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling.

Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. It was unclear whether aid had resumed on Saturday.

The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided around 9 million meals so far.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

The war erupted after Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.

The post Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo

The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.

The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.

The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.

The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.

The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.

The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.

While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.

The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.

USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.

One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.

The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.

The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.

Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.

The post US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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