62 Daniel Schiff

It is, baffling, however, as to why those who“earned higher wages” should“continue to receive benefits related to their earnings history” when a number of those earners are not in need of such benefits, and when“higher wages” could mean lower effective rates of taxation. Such resolutions inevitably leave the impression that their focus is more on narrower political issues, rather than on establishing the broader Jewish vision of the tzedakah-oriented society.

There is no expectation, of course, that persons of means, as they enter their retirement years, should, on an individual basis, voluntarily forego the retirement benefits that are legally available to them. Such an act, although a meritorious expression of righteousness, would still leave systemic shortcomings unaddressed. There is, however, a more reasonable expectation that though poverty might never be completely alleviated, poverty relief should become the core goal of social assistance endeavors. There is not the slightest doubt that the various programs of the modern welfare state, founded on primary Jewish ideals, have already yielded remarkable reductions in poverty rates during the twentieth century. And these gains must be safeguarded. If, however, there are to be further substantial diminutions in poverty, Jewish insights posit that they will be more effectively achieved by making this task a focused communal responsibility, rather than continuing to seek shared entitlements as a universal communal right. Through means testing benefits, assistance can be delivered with greater impact where it is truly required, and public and private social justice programs can unite in striving to achieve the most significant objective of all: providing every member of society with enough to ensure a basic, dignified existence. It is, naturally, a hope for some future day that dependence upon public assistance might eventually evaporate, so that all will be able to partake in the human satisfaction of self-reliance. Going forward, it