Social Welfare in Judaism: Biblical Foundations, Ethical Principles and Contemporary Relevance

Abstract

Examine the topic of social welfare in Judaism, especially scriptural, moral and some historical sources its central thesis is that promoting social welfare lies at the heart of Jewish thought based on a foundation of justice, compassion, dignity and community. It explores the concept of Tzedakah and treat it not as voluntary giving but a mode of justice, and discusses Mosaic laws about charity concerning needy people (the poor, laborers, debtors, slaves) (minimum threshold), or dependents (widows/orphans) (Minimum subsistence); and parents. Moreover, it depicts how these laws safeguard the rights of marginalized people and help achieve social harmony. It refers to passages from the Holy Qur'an in relative comparison for the sake of an agenda, in thinking that welfare values were once and are now common among all Abrahamic religious torchbearers. Using a qualitative and textual approach, the study draws upon scripture, canonical and non-canonical Jewish literature, as well as historical and academic resources for an assessment of Judaism's welfare model. The results show, once again, that Judaism portrays its social welfare program as a religious requirement linking justice to compassion and personal responsibility to communal well-being. The study concludes that the foundation of welfare principles inherent in Judaism still provides ethical guidelines for contemporary rise social problems and human solidarity.