Sublime

Hence also tzedek legislation: what I give to others in need is not charity but justice, not giving away what is rightfully mine, but rather honoring the conditions under which I hold it in trust.

Liberal rabbis often become sacred social workers, mainly focused on pastoral and lifecycle moments in their communities.

The sixth Rebbe deduced from this principle that Israel ben Eliezer (1698–1760), the Ba‘al Shem Ṭov, “master of a good name,” generally abbreviated as the Beshṭ, should be considered the “Moses of Ḥasidism” and Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the “Moses of Ḥabad.”

Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, all human beings are endowed with three “intrinsic dignities”: infinite worth, equality, and uniqueness.10

Elijah’s ethical paradigm—mishnat ḥasidim—is incumbent upon anyone truly devoted.

Many religious people think that concessions to human limitations are incompatible with divine law. An eternal truth should not be qualified by socioeconomic realities or cultural norms. Halacha’s pragmatism bespeaks a different understanding of Judaism.

The beneficiary is entitled to tzedaka according to his or her need; the donor is only obligated to give what he or she can afford.”

The problem is that the rabbis he respects were almost all murdered.