Labor on the Bimah - 2009 D'var Torah

8/8/2019 Labor on the Bimah - 2009 D'var Torah

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Labor on the Bimah Putting the "labor" into Labor Day

Jewish perspectives on Healthcare

Facilitator's Guide

Here are some guiding questions for the attached source sheet. We have selected the topic of health care for this year's "Labor on the Bimah" theme because it is an issue which affects allworkers, all Americans, in personal ways. Health is the great equalizer in society. The goal of this session is to engage Jewish views on healthcare practices and to engage the participants'Jewish and American identities. I would recommend using the session to engage your congrega-tion's personal stories around health care, with the possibility of using your congregation as atown hall. How has the health care system in America affected them personally, both for goodand for bad? How does their personal story affect their current hopes for future policy, forthcom-ing in the coming months?

I would recommend having a chevruta session as part of the study, if not all of it. There are manysources on this document and you may not want to use all of them. I do not suggest that this is acomplete corpus on Jewish approaches to healthcare, merely several sources that speak to thesubject and will hopefully provoke discussion.

Guiding Questions:

-- Do you agree with Mordecai Kaplan's statement?

-- Is there an inherent connection between Labor Day and Judaism? Should there be?



Biblical Sources:

-- What does the phrase "in the image of God" mean to you?

-- Do the Biblical texts below relate at all to notions of universal health care? If so, how?

-- How does the rst half of the Leviticus verse relate to the second?

-- What is your interpretation of the second half? What does it mean to "stand on others'" blood?What would it mean in the contemporary era?

-- Do you see a connection between the two sources?

Rabbinic Sources:

-- The Talmud seeks to nd a Biblical text to prove its statement. What do you think of its use of

the Leviticus text. Is this how you interpreted the verse?-- Is there a contemporary equivalent to the Sanhedrin statement?

-- This is a very personal example of a by-stander's imperative to act. If one sees any of theseexamples on TV, what must one do? Practically, what does this mean in the 21st century?

-- What are some of the accompanying practical concerns that you have with this text?

-- What is the underlying theological question behind the text in Midrash Shmuel? Do you agreewith it?

-- What do you think of the metaphor? Do you have a different metaphor?

-- Does God have a role in healing? What is the human role in relation to this role?

Vorspan and Saperstein:

-- Do you see the medieval communal responsibility as an ideal? Why/why not?

-- Is there a model here that could functionally work in 21st century America?

-- How does the fact that Jews now live exclusively in a heterogeneous American society changethe facts stated in this source?

Minchat Shlomo :

-- This is part of a contemporary teshuva, a legal decision. How does this text stylistically com- pare to the afor

-- How does this interpretation relate to your discussion on Sanhedrin 73a?



-- The author is struggling here with the diffusion of responsibility when many are aware of thedanger. How can make ourselves accountable even when others also know about lives being lostand are not acting?

-- What makes the author hesitant to say at out that we are obligated to spend all our money?

-- What do you think the author would say if the person in mortal danger has no money and willnot be able to repay the saver?

Mishpetei Uziel:

-- How does the author of this text try to mandate a law that is not measurable?

-- What power dynamics are at play?

-- In what ways have the concerns here been addressed in contemporary labor law? What stillneeds to be addressed - particularly in a global context?

-- What does this text suggest about preventative care and healthcare?

Tzitz Eliezer:

-- What do you think about the model of setting a kuppah for the community? Is there a contemporary parallel? What could one be?

-- This is a particularistic view of a cloistered Jewish community that must provide for its own.

Do you see this applying to contemporary America, as well? Should the Jewish community haveits own kuppah as well?

Rabbi Jill Jacobs

-- What do you think of Rabbi Jacobs' analysis of the kuppah in contemporary society? Shouldthis be the ideal?

-- After studying these texts, how would you voice a Jewish perspective on health care?

This source sheet was assembled with the aid of the new American Jewish World Servicedatabase, on1foot.org and Rabbi Jill Jacobs' book, There Shall be no Needy: Pursuing Social

Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition (New York: Jewish Lights, 2009).



Labor on the Bimah Putting the "labor" into Labor Day

Jewish perspectives on Healthcare

What is American Labor Day's connection to Judaism?

“Labor Day: a day devoted to the reection on the role of labor in shaping a better world. Thedignity of labor arises from the fact that through it man helps to create his own world and todetermine the destiny of the human race. But that dignity is present only when labor is free and isspent voluntarily in meeting the needs of the laborer, his family, and his community... HenceLabor Day should stimulate thought on how to render labor as free and creative as we can makeit.”

-Rabbi Mordecai Menahem Kaplan, The Faith of America

Is there a Biblical injunction for universal Health Care?

ת.1 י ש א ר קב ר ו:אפ ז – כ כ

ו ֶמרכ א י ֹּ םוַ י ק ה,ֱאלֹ שֶׂ ע ֲ םנַ נָאדָ מֵ לְ צַ נבְּ תֵ מ דְ ְר;כִּ יִ תוְ גַ דְ םבִ יָּ ףַה ע םבְ ַמיִ ֵהָמה,ַהשָּׁ בְּ לבַ כָ -בְ ץ רֶ ל,ָהאָ מֶ-ְבכָ רֶ מֵ,הָ רֹ להָ ץ-ע ַ רֶ ז.ָהאָ אכ רָ בְ יִּ ם וַ י ק ם-ֶאתֱאלֹ מָהָאדָ לְ צַ ם,בְּ לֶ צֶ ם בְּ י ק אֱאלֹ רָ בָּ

ת ר:אֹ כָ ֵקָבהזָ א,נְ רָ .ֹאָתםבָּ

1. Genesis 1:26-27

26. And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have domin-ion over the sh of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.' 27 And God created man in God'sown image, in the image of God, in God's image God created him; male and female God createdthem.

א.2 ר ק י ז''ט:ט''יוא ךְ-לֹ לֵתלֵ י כִ ךָרָ י מֶּ ע ַ א,בְּ ֹמדלֹ ע ֲ לתַ ם-ע ַ ךָדַּ ע ֶ י:רֵ קֲאנִ וָ ק יְ

2. Leviticus 19:16

You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people; neither shall you stand on the blood of your neighbor: I am Adonai.



Some perspectives from the Rabbinic Era

ד.3 ו מ ל ית ל ב ן,ב י ר ד ה נ גס א:ע

ן י י נ המ א ו ר תל וא ר י ב אח ו ה ע ש ב ו רט ה נ וב הא י וח ת ר ר ו וג ןא י ט ס ןל י א וב י ל אע ו ה בש י י ח

ו ל י צ ה דל ו מ ל רת מ ו א: ''ל דל ו מ ע לת םע ךד ע א'' (ר ר ק י טו )י3. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 73a

How do we know that one who sees one's neighbor drowning in the river, or being dragged by awild beast, or being attacked by robbers, is obligated to save this person? The Torah says, 'Donot stand by the blood of your neighbor' (Leviticus 19).

The Babylonian Talmud is a commentary on the Mishnah, and contains both legal and narrativetexts (halakha and aggadah). It was redacted in the seventh century.

ש.4 ר ד למ א ו מ א:דש

ה ש ע ימ ב ר לב א ע מ ש יי ב ר הו ב י ק וע י ה ןש י כ ל ה תמ ו צ ו ח םב י ל ש ו ר הי י ה ןו ה מ םע ד דא ח ע ,א ג פם ה םב ד הא ל ו ר,ח מ ןא ה יל ת ו ב ור ר מ יא הל מ אב פ ר ת ו,א ר מ וא חל ךק ךל ךכ כ דו אע פ ר ת ת ,שר מ ןא ה ול ת ו שא י א הה י ה ןש ה מ יע המ כ וה ת ו יא ל ו ח ו,ב ר מ וא של ו ד ק ךה ו ר אב ו ר,ה מ ןא ה ל

ם ת א םו ת ס נ כ םה כ מ צ רע ב ד וב נ י א םש כ ל א,ש ו הה כ םה ת א ןו י א פ ר ו,מ ר מ וא הל ךמ ת כ א ל ,מר מ ןא ה דל ב ו הע מ ד יא נ יא ר ה לו ג מ יה ד י ו,ב ר מ וא יל אמ ר תב הא מ ד א י,ה אמ ר תב םא ר כ ,הר מ םא ה של ו ד ק ךה ו ר אב ו ו,ה ר מ וא הל ת א סו י נ כ ךמ מ צ רע ב ד וב נ י א ךש ל א,ש ו אה ר וב ת ו תא א ו

ל כ ו ןא י י ר ופ ל ר,ש מ ןא ה ןל י םא ת ןא י א ו לר ג מ יה ד י יב ל ו ל יא נ א אש צ ו וי ש ר ו ח וו ת ס כ מ וו ל ב ז מ ו

ו ש כ נ אמ הל ל ע הה מ ו א ו,מ ר מ וא הל ט ו םש ל ו ע ב ךש ת כ א ל מ אמ תל ע מ הש במ ו ת כ שש ו נ א

ר י צ ח וכ י מ ם,י ש ץכ ע ה םש וא נ י לא ב ז שנ כ נ ת מ שו ר ח נ וו נ י הא ל ו ם,ע א הו ל אע ל הו ת םש י א(מ ל ו

ל ב ז ו)נ נ י יא אח ו ה תו ך,מ ףכ ו ג אה ו ץה ע ל,ה ב ז אה ו םה ס ש,ה י הא מ ד אא ו אה פ ו ר .ה

4. Midrash Shmuel, 4:1

Once Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Akiva were strolling in the streets of Jerusalem along with anoth-er man. They met a sick person who said to them, “Masters, can you tell me how I can behealed?” They said to him, "Take such-and-such until you felt better." The man strolling with thetwo rabbis turned to them and said, “Who made this man sick?” “The Holy Blessed One,” theyreplied. “And you presume to interfere in an area that is not yours?” the man remarked. “God hasaficted and you heal?” “What is your occupation?” they asked the man. “I’m a tiller of thesoil,” he answered, “as you can see from the sickle I carry.” “Who created the land and who cre-ated the vineyard?” “The Holy Blessed One.” And they said, “And you dare to move into an areathat is not yours? God created these and you eat their fruit?” He said to them, “Don’t you see thesickle in my hand?” the man asked. “If I did not go out and plow the eld, water it, fertilize it,

weed it, no food would grow!” Fool,” the rabbis said, “have you not heard that the days of people are like a harvest. Just as a tree that is not fertilized and weeded and pruned does not grow,and if it grows and does not drink (or take fertilizer) it does not live and dies, so to the body is atree — the medicine is the fertilizer and the doctor is the farmer.”Midrash Shmuel is an aggadic Midrash, originating in Biblical Israel. It expands on the Book of Samuel.



5. Albert Vorspan and David Saperstein in Jewish Dimensions of Social Justice

By the Middle Ages, community responsibility encompassed every aspect of life. The Jewishcommunity regulated market prices so that the poor could purchase food and other basic com-modities at cost. Wayfarers were issued tickets, good for meals and lodging at homes of mem-

bers of the community, who took turns in offering hospitality. Both these practices anticipated"meal tickets" and modern food stamp plans. Some Jewish communities even established "rentcontrol," directing that the poor be given housing at rates they could afford. In Lithuania, localtrade barriers were relaxed for poor refugees. When poor young immigrants came from other

places, the community would support them until they completed their education or learned atrade. The organization of charity became so specialized that numerous societies were estab-lished to keep pace with all the needs. Each of the following functions was assumed by a differ-ent society on behalf of the community at large: visiting the sick, burying the dead, furnishingdowries for poor girls, providing clothing, ransoming captives, supplying maternity needs, and

providing necessities for observing holidays. In addition there were public inns for travelers,homes for the aged, orphanages, and free medical care. As early as the eleventh century, ahekdesh ("hospital") was established by the Jewish community of Cologne, primarily for poor and sick travelers. Many later medieval Jewish communities in Poland and Germany adopted this

pattern. Spanish Jewish communities hired doctors to serve the entire community to ensure thathealth care was available to all.

David Saperstein and Albert Vorspan are the current and previous director of the Commissionon Social Action of Reform Judaism.

A new precedent: Healthcare and the Jewish State

ת.6 ח נ המ מ ל ך,ש ר ו,בכ ד:פ

ן י נ ע בב ו י ח ןה מ מ תל תא ו א צ ו ה תה ל צ ה ול י י לח הש ל ו ןח כ ו ס תמ ו ט ש פ אמ ר מ ג ןה י ר ד ה נ ס ג"ע בםא"ע י א ו בר י י ח תד ו ש ע לל כ וה ת ל צ ה םל א וו א אל ו רה ב ו וע א ל לב אש דל ו מ ע לת םע ךד ע ר

ת( י י נ ע יל ת ע טד ו ש הפ ל ו ח ה וש מ צ רע י פ בש י י רח ח ך – א ע כ ו ר פ ול ם),ל א רו מ א לנ ע וד א ול ב ו י ח ש

ה ש ע אמ כ י בל ו י זח ב ז ב לל וכ נ ו מ רמ"מ,מ ש ע ומ שא מ ו אח ה י במ י י ט,ח ר פ ב רו ב ת ס מ רד ת ו י

ו א ל הש הז ב ר רה ת ו רי ו מ רח י פ ש בו י י זח ב ז ב לל וכ נ ו מ ך.מ וא נ ר ע צ םל י ל ק ת הנ ז דב י מ את ל ו

ם י ש ו ךע י,כ ת ע מ ש ןו ו א ג ה ל'רש א ר ש טי נ א ל א ס צמ קל"ז פ ת ס הה ב ר ןה י נ ע הב ה.ז ש ע מ ל יו א ד ו

ה א ר הנ כ ב הג"ד א ו ר תש וא ר ב ע ח ב ו רט ה נ ןב י א יו למ י צ י וש ת ו רא י פ בש י י זח ב ז ב לל וכ נ ו מ ,מם ל ו ןא י נ ע ה ש ע כ ו ד םי ס ר ו פ מ םו י ב ר םל י כ מ ו לס ק ה ול נ י א בש י י ןח ת י רל ת ו קי ל ח ה למ ט ו מ ש

ו י ל מ.ע ןמ"ו י הא לז ב ק ת למ יע ת ע יד ככ י ה רת"מ ו ט פ וי מ צ וע א ל רמ ו מ הח יז נ פ המ םז י ר ח א ש

א םל י ש ש ו םח י ר ב ו ע לו הע ר,ז ב ד ה ךו י ר ןצ ו י בע .ר

6. Minchat Shlomo, Book 2, 86:4

In relation to the obligation to pay the costs of saving the life of a sick person who is in danger of dying: From the straightforward reading of Sanhedrin 73a ( see source number 3 ) , we see that



one is obligated to do everything to save him, and if not, one transgresses the negative command-ment: “Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.” (According to my humble opinion, it’sclear that the sick person is obligated afterwards to repay the expenses.) And if we say that thecommandment is directed at action, and therefore one is not under an obligation to spend all his

money, nevertheless 10 or 20% of his property surely is required. It is more logical that this pro-hibition is far more stringent and that he is obligated to spend all his property. But regretfully, weencounter this all of the time and nobody does it. I heard that the Gaon Israel Salanter was veryuncertain about this issue. As to what to do in our case: it looks to me certain that in a case suchas this, where one sees his friend drowning in the river and there is no one to save him, he has tospend all his resources to save him. But when the matter is publicly known to everyone, there arethose who rely on the lenient opinion, and one is not obligated to give more than his fair share.But in any event, this doesn’t make sense to me, because how can he absolve himself from sucha stringent negative commandment simply because others are not concerned with it and violateit? This matter requires great study.

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Jerusalem 1910-1995) was a legal exegete and scholar.

ן.7 ןב ו י יצ לח א י ז ו י,ע ט פ ש למ א י ז ו ן',דע ש ו טח פ ש גמ מ

ם םא נ מ דא צ המ כ ל ה ןה י לא ע תב י ב בה י י יח ק ז נ לב ע ו פ ה…ה ט ו ינ נ רא מ ו לל ע ב תש י ב רה ה ז ו מ

ן המ ר ו ת תה ו ש ע לל הכ רמ ש פ א חש י ט ב ה ול י ל ע ו תפ נ כ ס תמ ו ומ םא ו במ ו ת כ "כ ת: י ש ע הו ק ע מ

ך ג ג אל ל םו י ש םת י מ ךד ת י ב ל"ב ל ו כ לש לכ ו ש כ למ ו ל ע קה י ז ה ול מ בכ ל ע כ םר ל ו ס ע ו ו ע ור כ '.ון א כ ומ נ ןא י ד מ תל ב ו לח ע תב י ב וה ןא ל ב ק גה ו א ד תל ו נ ק י ד הב ר י ה יז א נ ת הב ד ו ב ע וה י ה י ש

ם י ח ו ט לב כ למ ו ש כ םמ ר ו ג הה ז י א ןל ו ס אא ו ה ם…ש א ב וו א אל ו דה כ ל ןנ ו ו ע א"ב םל י ש םת י מ ד

ך ת י ב ךב י ר צ הו ר פ ל.כ ב ןא י הא רז ב אד צ ו י ןה י נ י י ד .ב

7. Ben-Tzion Meir Chai Uziel, Mishpetei Uziel , Choshen Mishpat 43.

Though it is the case that according to the law the owner is not liable for the damages of theworker…I am inclined to say that the owner is warned by the Torah to do all that is possible toinsure his workers from the danger of death or disability, as it says: “You shall make a parapetfor your roof and you shall not bring blood-guilt upon your house” (Deuteronomy 22:8), whichincludes any hazard which is likely to cause injury, like a mad dog or a rickety ladder [BavaKamma 15b, Choshen Mishpat 427:5]. From this we learn the obligation of the owner or con-tractor to address the working conditions with strict care, so that they are secure from all hazardswhich might precipitate an accident…for if he is guilty of the sin “you shall not bring blood-guiltupon your house” and needs atonement. But this is not adjudicable before judges.

Rabbi Ben-Tzion Meir Chai Uziel served as the chief rabbi of Palestine/Israel from 1939-1954. His legal writings are collected in a work called Mishpetei Uziel.



ץ.8 י רצ ז ע י ל ד:ה,אר פ ס ב םו י ט ו ק יל ב ר למ א פ יר כ ד ר ימ כ ל תמ ר ב ח ב' (במ אר פ ו ר םו ל ש ו ר י ע ב צ מ א הב א מ ה

ת י ש י מ ףח ל א יל ח כ ו נ ב)ה ת ו םכ יג ןכ ו ק ת רמ ו ב צ לה כ םב ו ק םמ ו ק מ לו א ר ש י םש י ב ש ו ד,י ח י ל

ה פ ו רק ו ק י ב םל י ל ו א,ח ו ה םו י ל ו ח ה םש י י נ ע ןה י א םש ד תי ג ש תמ ו א צ ו ה םל ת א ו פ ל,ר ה ק ה

ם י ח ל ו םש ה אל פ ו םר ר ק ב תל ו א ו פ ר ה סו י כ למ ה ק םה י נ ת ו נ םו ה ןל ו ז ימ ו א ר םה י ל ו ח רל ב םד ו י ו מ ו י יב פ יכ ו ו י םצ י א פ ו ר .ה

8. Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, Tzitz Eliezer 5:4Citing the opinion of Rabbi Rafael Mordechai Malchi: It has been enacted that in every place inwhich Jews live, the community sets aside a fund for care of the sick. When poor people are illand cannot afford medical expense, the community sends them a doctor to visit them, and themedicine is paid for by the communal fund ( kuppah) . The community gives them foodappropriate for the ill, day by day, according to the directions of the doctor.

Rabbi Waldenberg (Israel, 1915-2006) was a leader of the Rabbinical Court in Israel and therabbi of Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem; his legal writings are dubbed Tzitz Eliezer.

9. Health care in America: Breakdown of how Americans are/are not coveredYES, private health insurance .......... 59 percent

YES, MediCARE ............................... 18YES, MediCAID ............ .............. ...... 2YES, Tricare ..................................... 2YES, Other ............. .............. ............ 6NO, do not have a health plan .......... 12Other ............ .............. .............. ........ -

Don't know/refused ......................... 1Source: HART/McINTURFF, NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey, Jun 12-15, 2009

In Conclusion:10. The rst step in creating a new American health care system should involve restoring com-munity — in this case, government — control over the system. In this way, the health care sys-tem will be supported by, and accountable to the residents of the society, just as the kuppah wasonce collected from and administered by the individual community. Per our discussion, this newhealth care system must treat all individuals as creations in the divine image, care even for thosewho are ostracized because of their illness or ethnicity, pay doctors enough to avoid a shortage of health care providers, and offer preventative care. Such a system has the potential to save lives,reduce differences in life expectancy among people of different economic classes, and produce afunctional and equitable system for the long term.

- Rabbi Jill Jacobs, There Shall be No Needy, 178. Rabbi Jacobs is the Rabbi-in-Residence atJewish Funds for Justice and a leading voice in Jewish perspectives on social justice.

This source sheet was assembled with the aid of the new American Jewish World Servicedatabase, on1foot.org and Rabbi Jill Jacobs' book, There Shall be no Needy: Pursuing Social

Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition (New York: Jewish Lights, 2009).

Documents

Labor on the Bimah - 2009 D'var Torah