Dear TalkingTorah,
It has been a year since I have listened to Morris Cerullo. I'm not sure what he has done to offend you but I ask you, don't hold it against all of us who believe in Christ. In no way would I try and make anyone believe the way I do. We all have free will, God made us this way.

I have learned a lot from the Torah and I hope to learn more. (My favorite feast is called "booths"). We all need to remember where we come from and how far God has brought us, and all he has done for us.

I have been in a wheelchair for 27 years I know what God can do. I am 41 years old and He has always made away for me when man could not. Again don't judge us all by what one has done. Keep me in your prayers as I pray for you.

Thank you for your time.

Gail

Dear Gail,
I am sorry that you were disappointed in our assessment of the behavior of Mr. Cerillo. Let me explain what he did that was so offensive.

First, he misrepresented himself when he promoted his made for TV movie, "The Rabbi." In his promotional material he never once stated the true nature of the film. Many Jewish and secular newspapers ran his advertisement thinking it was a Jewish film, not a Christian proselytizing) program as was actually the case.

Second, while the film was running his website biography stated that he grew up in an Orthodox Jewish orphanage. That reference was later removed.

His failure to tell people the true nature of his film is a lie by omission, in other words, he lied by withholding facts. His claim to have been brought up in a Jewish orphanage seems to have been placed in his bio just in case a Jewish person took a peek at his website. The fact that it disappeared when the run of his film ended casts serious doubt about the honesty of his claim. Usually in Jewish tradition, talking about all these things, even if true, could be considered gossip. But we are permitted to speak of them when a person enters public scrutiny. We are permitted to tell others in order to protect them from his dishonesty.

Never was were we trying to communicate that all Christians feel the same and operate the way Morris Cerillo does. Sometimes it does get frustrating for us to see people like him attempting to take people away from the heritage of there ancestors, and doing it so dishonestly. People like this make things difficult for everyone else. The best thing to do is to let everyone know what is happening so we can all see the Morris Cerillos of the world for what they are.

On a little happier note, I hope your study goes well. If you have any questions don't hesitate to email us.

I also want you to know that I pray for you, when I say the Mi Shebeirach, the prayer for healing and strength, each week.

Mee shay-bay-rock a-vo-tay-new
Mee'kor ha-bra-cha l'ee-moe-tay-new

May the Source of strength
Who blessed the ones before us
Help us find the courage
To make our lives a blessing
And let us say, A-main.

Mee shay-bay-rock ee-moe-tay-new
Mee'kor ha-bra-cha l'a-vo-tay-new

Bless those in need of healing
With r'foo-ah shlay-ma
The renewal of body
The renewal of spirit
And let us say, A-main.

The funny looking syllables are Hebrew transliterations. That is a fancy way of saying that this shows how the Hebrew is pronounced. If you just read those parts like you were pronouncing English you will get pretty close to the proper pronunciation.

Shalom,
John

Dear TalkingTorah,
I am researching Torah ideals and approaches concerning helping the poor, especially emphasizing facilitating employment and community-based institutions like alternative health care, food co-ops, etc. I want to find references in Torah concerning this. Thanks.

Sharon

Dear Sharon,
Where do we start? First most of what you are looking for does not exist because most of what you are researching did not exist in Torah times. Second, some of what you are looking for is in the later literature.

Treatment of the Poor

• There shall be no unrighteousness in judgment: do not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but judge both equally. Lv:19:15

• If, however, there, is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of you settlements in the land that the Lord you God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs. Dt:15:7

• For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsmen in your land. Dt:15:11

• You shalt not subvert the rights of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take as a pledge a widow's raiment. Dt:24:17

Wages and the Treatment of the Needy

• You shall not defraud your neighbor, nor rob him: you shall not keep the wages of a hired worker all night until morning. Lv:19:13

• You shall not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be a fellow countryman, or a stranger that is in the land. Dt:24:14

• You must pay him his wages, do not let the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and urgently needs it: lest he cry out to the Lord against you, and you will incur guilt. Dt:24:15

Health and Healing

• And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech you! Nm:12:13

• And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and the plague has not spread in the house, after the house was plastered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. Lv:14:48

• And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Lv:14:3

Food for the Poor and Needy

• And when you reap the harvest of your land, do not wholly reap the corners of the field, nor gather the gleanings of the harvest. Lv:19:9

• And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not clean the corners of your field, nor gather any gleaning of your harvest: leave them to the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God. Lv:23:22

• When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you should not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. Dt:24:21

Maimonides wrote that there are eight levels of tzedakah. (Tzedakah comes from a Hebrew root meaning righteousness. Giving is not an option, it is an obligation. This is opposed to charity which is from "caritas" meaning "from the heart." )

• 8   The lowest level is when one gives grudgingly.

• 7   When one gives less than he or she should but cheerfully.

• 6   When one gives to the poor when asked.

• 5   When one gives without being asked.

• 4   When the recipient knows who the giver is, but the giver does not know who the recipient is.

• 3   When the giver knows the recipient, but the recipient does not know the giver.

• 2   When the giver and the recipient do not know each other.

• 1   The highest level is when one helps out before the person is reduced to begging, with a loan, gift, or by helping the person find employment or establish him or herself in business so they do not become dependent on others.

All of the above is meant to help to preserve the dignity of the person on need. For instance, the gleanings of a harvest are not just collected and delivered to the needy. They must "go to work" just like everyone else and "earn" their food. Also, there were not organizations to do this work, the corners were left untouched so that anyone could gather.

The health care aspect is the most difficult to fit with what you are looking for. The priests of the Temple were not shut up away from everyday life. They worked with the people to help them in times of need. The rituals to make a sick person "clean" really functioned as a welcome back in to the community.

In the Eight Levels of Tzedakah, the part where the giver and recipient do not know each other is called higher than the two preceding levels, because a person receiving help may be embarrassed by their situation. If they do not know their benefactor, but the benefactor knows them may cause them even more embarrassment. It is considered higher for the giver not to know the recipient so that he or she is not just giving only to a paticular person.

We hope this helps. if you have any more questions , please drop us a line.