One of the most cited pieces regarding the private person's responsibility for the public domain is the Tragedy of the Commons by Thomas Hardin. An insightful work on the way private individuals can deplete the public's resources when just one person seeks to greedily get an edge over others, it is no less germane today than when first published.
Furthermore, though, Hardin seemingly reaches a conclusion opposite that of Judaism. Quoting Hegel, he admonishes, "Freedom is the recognition of necessity," and thus urges people to have fewer children so as to not exhaust the public's resources.
Interestingly enough, this week's Torah portion confronts the very same issue with a very stark reminder of the pitfall Hardin references. The Tractate of Pesachim which discusses the laws of Passover states that Hashem reverts two different things from being publicly owned and thus ownerless to take on the delineation of private property, in a way that makes the individual communally responsible. The first is chametz or leavened bread on Passover and the second is a pit a person digs in the public domain; though a Jew cannot own unleavened bread on Passover and technically it automatically becomes ownerless, when he or she does keep it in his or her possession without having sold it or nullifying it-which would make it "like the dust of the land"-the Torah makes this person into the rightful owner of the chametz for the purpose of holding him accountable.
Likewise, the second element is a pit which a person digs in the public domain. Though an individual cannot claim ownership of the pit, were another person or animal to fall into the pit, the one who had dug it would be held fully accountable.
Perhaps it can be said that this is the message in the duality here. On a spiritual and physical level, each of us is accountable for our fellow man; on both of these dimensions, what we do and don't do has an effect on others. The Jew who has taken chametz that was ownerless and made it his own by keeping it in his possession has inflicted damage on the public the same way one who digs a pit and leaves it uncovered, has harmed the public good.
Shabbat shalom!
Yogi
Furthermore, though, Hardin seemingly reaches a conclusion opposite that of Judaism. Quoting Hegel, he admonishes, "Freedom is the recognition of necessity," and thus urges people to have fewer children so as to not exhaust the public's resources.
Interestingly enough, this week's Torah portion confronts the very same issue with a very stark reminder of the pitfall Hardin references. The Tractate of Pesachim which discusses the laws of Passover states that Hashem reverts two different things from being publicly owned and thus ownerless to take on the delineation of private property, in a way that makes the individual communally responsible. The first is chametz or leavened bread on Passover and the second is a pit a person digs in the public domain; though a Jew cannot own unleavened bread on Passover and technically it automatically becomes ownerless, when he or she does keep it in his or her possession without having sold it or nullifying it-which would make it "like the dust of the land"-the Torah makes this person into the rightful owner of the chametz for the purpose of holding him accountable.
Likewise, the second element is a pit which a person digs in the public domain. Though an individual cannot claim ownership of the pit, were another person or animal to fall into the pit, the one who had dug it would be held fully accountable.
Perhaps it can be said that this is the message in the duality here. On a spiritual and physical level, each of us is accountable for our fellow man; on both of these dimensions, what we do and don't do has an effect on others. The Jew who has taken chametz that was ownerless and made it his own by keeping it in his possession has inflicted damage on the public the same way one who digs a pit and leaves it uncovered, has harmed the public good.
Shabbat shalom!
Yogi
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