By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com
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Next week many young ladies will be flying to Eretz Yisroel for seminary. Today, then, is probably the last day that something very important must be done.
All of the banks, it seems, charge a significant amount of money for every transaction that is made in Israel. All of them except one – Capital One. So it pays to open up an account there for people that are going to be in Eretz Yisroel for the year. Indeed, many people are now doing so.
This information is being relayed in order to fulfill a Mitzvah. It is called the obligation to be “chas al mammon yisroel” – a fulfillment of the Torah Mitzvah of “v’ahavata larayacha kamocha.”
The Gemorah in Moed Katan 27b tells us that when Jews were burying their dead in the finest clothing, Rabban Gamliel HaZakain arose and declared that enough was enough. The rising pressures, the “keeping up with the Joneses” in how to dress the deceased was causing enormous economic pressure on the living. “It must stop,” declared the rabbi, and the tachrichim, burial shrouds, we now use became the norm.
BOYCOTTING FISH
The great Tzemach Tzedek (of 17th century Poland), cited by the Mogain Avrohom in the beginning of hilchos Shabbos, once ruled (responsa #28) that when local fishermen collude and lift up the price of fish excessively, a prohibition can be levied upon the consumption of fish on Shabbos. It may take a week or two or even three, but eventually the collective buying power of ordinary people would force the price back down.
OBLIGATION UPON EVERYONE
We will see, however, that it is not just great Torah leaders who have saved and are concerned for the financial well-being of their fellow Jews. It seems that this is what is expected by the Torah of everyone.
The Gemorah (Menachos 76a) tells us that Hashem commanded Moshe to also feed the nation’s livestock from the water that He had caused to come out from the rock at Mei Merivah. Also, Rashi (Rosh Hashanah 27a) points out that the kohain first removes the vessels from the house before declaring a house impure. So we see examples of the Torah being concerned with the financial well-being of the Jewish nation.
FOR THE PUBLIC AND FOR PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS
The difference between the two cases is that the former is for the entire nation, while the latter demonstrates that the Torah is concerned even for the individual’s finances.
SOCIAL NORM AND TORAH OBLIGATION
The Chasam Sofer on Bava Basra (54b) states that, generally speaking, one can make the assumption that fellow Jews are concerned with the monetary well-being of their fellow man, and that this assumption has legal ramifications. So we see that it is the normal behavior expected of all Jews.
Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, author of the Tur, discusses (in the Choshen Mishpat section of Shulchan Aruch, chapter 35) a person who does not care about Jewish money. He writes that such a person will, in the future, surely answer for it. The Minchas Chinuch writes that one who is concerned about the preservation of his fellow Jew’s money fulfills the Biblical commandment of v’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha (see his commentary on that mitzvah).
The clear indication from these sources is that demonstrating concern for the financial well-being of others is not just a mitzvah, it is an expected social norm with reward for those who do it and punishment for those who do not.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
Chase Saphire reserve cards aslo do not charge per transaction done in israel u get the official rate
Im confused, why do the girls need a credit card?
Rabbi Hoffman describes the problems of “Keeping up with the Joneses” (sic) as well as Chas al Mamono shel Yisroel. Well I agree with Rav Gamliel HaZaken. It must stop. Are the girls coming to Seminary for an education or to go out to eat in restaurants, go shopping and other activities that require credit cards. This is pressure of the have nots who cant fargin themselves the luxuries that credit cards provide or dont want to add to the financial pressure of those paying the cards (their parents). How about chas al mamono shel haHorim??
Years ago a boys Yeshiva in Israel made a declaration that all food the boys eat must come from the Yeshiva kitchen and no boy can buy food from outside, not even something small from the local makolet. This was in order to prevent the gap between those who could afford better food and those who couldnt. Its time Rav Hoffman applies the principles he describes in its fullest. Unless this is a paid ad endorsing Capital One. If so then he should be straight about that.