Will there always be Poor People?

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study Deuteronomy 15:4-11, a section of the Torah with conflicting messages about whether or not there will always be poor people, as well as our obligation to lend to them and raise them out of poverty. Through this passage we see the Torah's conception of the land being a "loan" from G-d, our obligation to pay forward the abundance we get from the land to the poorer among us, as well as our obligation to steward the land to be a blessing for all generations to come. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/477260

What is Ḥoni's Circle?

Ḥoni's Circle is a climate chevruta (partner text study), In which Rabbi Paula Rose and Tamar Libicki explore Jewish texts from the Torah, the Talmud, and Commentaries to grapple with climate change. Rabbi Paula Rose is the associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, Washington. This Podcast is a project of Congregation Beth Shalom and Ahavat V'Avodat HaAdama, our community's environmental group.