by Rabbi Yechezkel Fox

The Limits of Taxation

Speak to the Children of Yisrael and let them take for Me a portion, from every man whose heart motivates him you shall take my portion. Ch25/2

In any given country there are countless organizations. Any attempt to rank them in importance would be purely subjective. Undoubtedly, some are more important than others. But to the lepidopterists their butterfly-catching society is of vital importance; likewise, to the advocates of a new Sanskrit dictionary, their project is a cultural imperative.
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by Rabbi Yechezkel Fox


The Master Plan
If you buy a Jewish slave, he shall work for six years;and in the seventh year he shall go free, for no charge. Ch.21/2

The fact that the laws regulating the treatment of slaves are placed at the beginning of the parsha, ahead of all the other laws regulating society, indicates that these laws needed special emphasis. Yet, we would think just the opposite. Since the Jewish people had themselves just experienced all the pain and humiliation of slavery, wouldn’t they be filled with tremendous compassion for slaves and be champions of equality? A slot somewhere near the back would have been more appropriate.
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