One Torah For All

One Torah shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Exodus 12:49

Understanding Torah Society
Part 8 – Public Goods – Summary

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 8:3
“And He humbled you, and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you did not know not, neither did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of YHWH does man live.”

YHWH has given order and structure to His people, the people of Israel. He did not want them to be self-ruled, but rather, ruled by Him in all aspects of their lives. He did not want them to take advantage of one another, but rather, He wanted them to watch over each other and to take care of one another. It would mean that each person would have to overcome certain human characteristics, which asserted dominance in mankind when he stepped into rebellion against YHWH our Creator, namely, self.

The whole appeal to people with the concept of “public goods” consists of appealing to man’s base nature, in that, he deserves certain things and that someone must give those things to him. Furthermore, when certain items are labeled as being “public,” then it seems to soften the impact in a person’s mind when those items are forcibly taken away from him and given to another. Call it what you want, but it is stealing, and it does not matter who does it, and regardless of how “altruistic” the motives seem on the surface, it is against Torah.

The whole idea of public goods, 1) order, 2) defense, 3) public health, 4) infrastructure, 5) education, and 6) social welfare, being doled out by some governmental benefactor is man’s invention to control the masses. Its sole purpose is to enable the few to govern the many. This is the unseen truth about public goods—they are not for the good of the people, but for the control of the people and for the good of those who ration out that which they have taken from the people.

The society which YHWH wants His people to live in is not based upon such principles. His society is based upon justice, mercy, and faith, all of which are placed upon a foundation of His love and mutual respect for one another. The society which YHWH has given to His people operates upon a completely different foundation. That foundation is Mashiach Yeshua. It has always been so.

Yochanan (John) 14:15
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

This same love then helps to identify His people to others.

Yochanan (John) 13:35
“By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.”

This love, along with the Law of Liberty is what is to govern the society of Israel. Men are not to govern other men.

Matithyah (Matthew) 20:25-26
25 But Yeshua called them to himself, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.”
26 “It shall not be so among you; but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister.”

These are the foundation stones of a society built upon Torah. The societies in which we all presently live are not based upon these principles, but upon the principles of Babel. It is time to begin shifting our thinking and mind set so that it is not upon the things of this world, but upon the commandments of our Creator.

Only in this way may true order be accomplished among His people. True order is not something that is forced upon others, but rather, is something which flows out of a man’s heart as he serves his Creator. This is possible because the Creator has filled such a man with His Spirit.

When any member of this society is threatened in any way, the society as a whole responds to defend itself and each of its individual members. Again, it is not something which is forced, but rather, it is the spiritual outflow of the infilling of His Spirit in His people.

When each and every person is living for YHWH and letting his neighbor live for YHWH in the same manner, that is, in the manner in which YHWH wants him to live for Him, then all is well and good. When all is well and good, then each and every person is healthy. He is healthy because he is eating according to what YHWH has commanded as well as avoiding what He has commanded not to be eaten. Thus, there is no sickness and no plagues because there is no sin in the camp. This is one of the foremost causes of sickness amongst His people, a cause which is largely ignored today. No person can break His commandments with impunity, for YHWH promises us that He will discipline His people with all the sickness and plagues of Egypt and more, if they do not keep and do each and every one of His commandments. Obey and be healthy. Disobey and be sick. It is the choice He has given to His people. This is true not only for individuals, but it is even truer for a nation.

YHWH has given a portion of His land to Israel. He has commanded her to divide it up by lot amongst the tribes and then further divide it up by lot amongst the individual tribes for the families. What each family is awarded by lot is to be in their possession forever. No one has the right or authority to take that land or any portion of that land or what it produces away from that family for any reason whatsoever. So YHWH has commanded! If a road goes across that land, the portion of that road on an individual’s land belongs to the owner of the land. YHWH made no provision for a man-made government to own any land, only tribes and the families therein. The Levites are a special case, with which we will deal more fully in a later study.

YHWH has charged each set of parents with training their children in living Torah. Once that training is complete, the child may get more education to fulfill that place in the Torah society which YHWH has called him to do. However, that education must be Torah based in which equal weights and measures are always being applied to all things, great and small.

There shall be poor among the people of YHWH. YHWH has given us great detail in how we are to take care of these individuals. Each and every person is responsible for his neighbors and brothers. This responsibility cannot be passed off onto some government entity. If a person sees a need in another person, then he is obligated to do what he can with the means in his own hand.

In the common rhetoric of today, public goods are supposedly something that an individual cannot provide for himself. However, as we have examined each area of the common public goods as seen by governments today, each and every one of these public goods not only can be provided by an individual, but is actually commanded by YHWH to be done by the individual. YHWH makes no provision for a government to give handouts to anyone for any reason.

Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for a government to take what you have earned through hard work and give it to another person. In fact, a society living according to Torah does not even need a government to function properly. Yea, as we have seen as recorded in Scripture, a government actually hinders a society from keeping Torah.

Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com