Transcribed by hand from BBC Sounds. Bold text is mine, to highlight key concepts. Italic text is to indicate emphasis in Daniel Greenberg's speaking. Andrew Basden.
Good morning. There is no word for "mine" in the Hebrew language.
For any Hebrew speakers now shouting "she-li [Hebrew construct used to say "mine"] at the radio, the late Rabbi Maurice Swift, a leading UK Orthodox rabbinic judge of the last Century, noted for powerful and idiosyncratic sermons, used to respond to similar cries of she-li from around the synagogue by explaining that it is conflation of two words, yaish, meaning "there is" and li meaning "to me".
This etymological construct reminds us that the Jewish concept of property is that God assigns property to my use and control from time to time, but it remains God's in all real senses.
The theme of the Torah portion that we will read this week in synagogues around the world is that of responsible property ownership. That includes the laws of the Sabbatical year. The farmer's determination to maximize profit from agricultural land is subordinated to the duty to leave fields fallow once in every seven years to preserve them for others, including future generations. The duty to remit debts at the Sabbatical Year, and the Biblical prohibition of charging interest on loans, carry the same clear message. If I have spare money, I should lend it in a spirit of sharing my blessings, and not as a way of increasing my wealth through the exploitation of other's need.
Through land law, credit law and employment law this week's Torah portion focuses the Jewish concept of property on responsibility and not on possession. I am a guardian of any property that is she-li, allocated to me from time to time, and I must nurture it and share it, in that spirit.
This was a radical message in Biblical times, in many societies, where might was right and possession was ten-tenths of the law. But of course today, it is widely accepted throughout different societies and cultures. It chimes with environmental policies that see us increasingly as only guardians of the planet and its resouces. And it fits with widespread and growing understanding of social responsibility at the heart of successful commercial and corporate culture.
Organised religion can come with a dangerous sense of entitlement. "Prosperity becomes a reward flowing from God's approval of my way of life." So we read about Jewish property law this week shortly before the festival of ShavuotTorah's commandments to remind us that social responsibility is an essential pre-requisite for accepting ritual laws in a setting that makes them a benefit and not a burden for humankind.
Created: 22 May 2025. Last updated: