Jewish Capitalism

By Moshe Feiglin

And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you; and every man shall return to his inheritance, and you shall return every man unto his family. (From this week's Torah portion, Behar, Leviticus 25:10)

We usually read the Torah portion on the Jubilee perfunctorily. The concept is a bit over our heads. What is the Jubilee? A game of Monopoly, in which every fifty years we re-shuffle the cards and re-distribute property and possessions? Is it really possible that the wealthy will share their assets with the poor?
The Torah teaches us that the righteous person's possessions are dear to him. Our Forefathers were billionaires. The Jewish economic principle is far from socialistic. Private property is just that - dedicated to its owner, alone. So why the sharp turn at the end of the Jubilee year?

Let us take a more exacting look at the Torah directive. In the verses on Jubilee, the Torah is talking about a person's portion of the Land - not one's cars, jewelry or savings account , and not even real-estate assets. Every Jew has his own inheritance in the Land of Israel. The relationship between the Jew and his portion of land is the same as his relationship to his wife: She is dedicated to him and sanctified unto him alone. Just as a man who goes bankrupt does not lose his wife to his creditors, he does not lose his portion of land, either.

The sanctity of personal possessions is a lofty Jewish value. But Jewish capitalism is different than current capitalism. It is delineated within the boundaries of sanctity. And if the economic game has breached the basic sanctity between a man and his inheritance, the Jubilee year proclaims liberty throughout the Land of Israel and reunites the inheritance with its owner.

This type of capitalism would render the proposed law to limit the huge salaries in the public service in Israel unnecessary. The Jewish Shmittah and Jubilee mentality that sanctifies private property while subservient to the Source of the property, to Whom everything belongs - would make greediness impossible. And if that mentality does not exist, can a new law rectify the situation?

Shabbat Shalom