tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post3930009143586324582..comments2023-09-11T17:58:13.764-04:00Comments on The Rebbetzin's Husband: Is it Jewish to Occupy Wall Street?The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-59652178916638121432011-12-12T04:48:59.525-05:002011-12-12T04:48:59.525-05:00Thank you for your criticism You wrote.
Anyway, c...Thank you for your criticism You wrote.<br /><br />Anyway, capitalism isn't just about lending money at interest. <br /><br />I never said that it was. It is in fact highly related to the idea of iska in the gemara. In the gemara it is giving someone a lot of money so that they go to Leptzig and buy low and sell high. when the guy gets back they split. But since that would be close to interest which is forbidden there is a rule about the splitting that takes into account the effort put in.<br />Now before the era of the high middle ages was a era in which the feudal system was being pasted together. In this era the only money lender were Jews and Christians were forbidden loan at interest.<br />But I hope i have made it clear that capitalism has little to do with loaning at interest-- it is rather investment or giving to a prince of king money so that they can expand their business interest and give a high return on the investment. This was not the invention one a few Jews but the general practice of Jews during the dark ages in Europe and then the lower Middle ages until the high middle ages.Avraham https://www.blogger.com/profile/07822433921393627746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-30836782827951601812011-12-11T16:32:59.818-05:002011-12-11T16:32:59.818-05:00On some level, we should be skeptical of any moder...On some level, we should be skeptical of any modern ism that neglects some significant portion of Torah law and hashkafah. This would even include capitalism. However, if that ism has led to mass murder and the suppression of religion, we should be more than skeptical---we should be revolted by it. For all its alleged idealism, communism has been one of these latter isms. Communists, no matter what they call themselves, have not been too shy to misappropriate and redefine Jewish terms and concepts as part of a Trojan horse strategy.Bob Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-84786987934511814112011-12-11T16:06:18.776-05:002011-12-11T16:06:18.776-05:00Russell-
Indeed; that was in the script, but thank...Russell-<br />Indeed; that was in the script, but thanks for referencing that excellent and well-edited translation.<br /><br />Daniel-<br />Thanks!The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-33221772098550092202011-12-11T07:57:00.000-05:002011-12-11T07:57:00.000-05:00The Rebbetzin's Husband: Very interesting and ...The Rebbetzin's Husband: Very interesting and balanced skit.<br /><br />Adam:<br /><br /><i>Jews invented capitalism.</i><br /><br />I'm no expert, but I don't think this is true. Medieval Italian Catholic moneylenders were also important e.g. inventing double-entry bookkeeping. And while Max Weber's idea of "The Protestant Work Ethic" has been debunked, the first modern capitalist economies were Protestant (the Netherlands and England).<br /><br />Anyway, capitalism isn't just about lending money at interest. You're ignoring social change, structural economic change, technological change e.g. urbanization, industrialization, the rise of the wage labourer etc. etc. These weren't "invented" by anyone.<br /><br />If you mean early economic theorists were Jewish, then David Ricardo was, but Adam Smith and Reverend Malthus and others were not.<br /><br />Even if "Jews invented capitalism" one could equally say that Jews invented communism: Marx, Trotsky, Luxemburg. What does such a statement actually prove?Daniel Saundershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07087956908558706584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-6420862568489562142011-12-11T03:20:52.046-05:002011-12-11T03:20:52.046-05:00I think there is only one original source quoted f...I think there is only one original source quoted from the past 800 years (and one that quotes that source), discussing the protest of a monopoly (which I am not sure how it really relates to this issue, but people only complain about housing, imports, cottage cheese, residents' salaries, and teachers' salaries here, not about people in general making too much money).<br /><br />A wonderful publication out of Toronto published its translation, around two years ago :)<br />www.torontotorah.com/alon/5770/vayechi70.pdfRussellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00452758052108522468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-67130843997459244562011-12-11T03:08:03.328-05:002011-12-11T03:08:03.328-05:00i want to mention something. Jews invented capital...i want to mention something. Jews invented capitalism. This happened not by choice but by necessity. after the collapse of the roman western empire Jews under Gothic Law were not allowed to own land or to be framers. the serf class was closed to Jews. Jews instead engaged in handicrafts and in money lending at interest. As the feudal system took hold princes and kings very often found themselves in need of ready cash and therefor had to go to the Jews. The Jews gladly loaned them money because in those countries contracts were strictly enforced as opposed to Islamic countries where contracts were meaningless. This developed into full fledged capitalism eventuality in which people would place capital into the hands of smart princess and private individuals who they felt could give a return on their investment.<br />This is just a very short introduction to this subject.Avraham https://www.blogger.com/profile/07822433921393627746noreply@blogger.com