Do You Need to Pay Your Taxes?

3 Discoveries From This Week's Talmud Study

This week’s Talmud study covers a range of fascinating topics: paying our taxes, the difference between literal and common meanings of words, and the various types of promises we make. Here are some lessons:

1. Words we say to God carry more weight than words we say to people: The rabbis discuss the difference between promises we make to another person and promises we make to God. The latter work differently.

For example, if we tell a friend, "I'm going to give you this book when I'm done with it," we have not made a binding vow. It only becomes a binding promise when we actually transfer the book to the other person.

However, if we say to God, 'I will consecrate this object--be it a building, a ritual item, or even a period of time," then it is as if the transfer has already taken place. The words complete the transfer.

God is everywhere, but we can't see God, so the equivalent of handing over something to God is saying it in God's presence, which is everywhere.

Why It Matters

Now why would this matter to you? It reminds us to be careful with prayers and petitions. We can't make light of the words we say to God.

I recall a humorous story I once heard about a man looking for a parking spot at a shopping mall. It was totally packed.

He said out loud, "God, please help me find a parking spot. If you find me one, I promise I will dedicate my life to you.”

A moment later, another car pulled out and a spot opened up. The man then said, “Never mind, God, I found one.”

It's funny, but it also makes light of our words, and that’s not a laughing matter. Carefulness in speech leads to carefulness in action, resulting in a more purposeful and joyous life.

2. Be aware of general expressions and accept their common meaning: Continuing on the theme of carefulness with our words, the sages mention certain common expressions of the time where the literal meaning is not always the same as the accepted meaning.

The sages cite some interesting examples. Someone who says, "I won't take money from anyone who lives on dry land," has actually made a vow including sailors, because at the time, "anyone who lives on dry land" was understood to mean everybody.

The sages’ observation is quite relevant for us today because we still use common expressions where the accepted meaning differs from the literal one.

If someone says, for example, "everyone in the whole world" was at their party, we know they mean that a lot of people were at the party. They do not literally mean every human being in the world.

The sages are not criticizing our tendency to use these types of phrases. Rather, they seek to clarify when the language does not precisely match the meaning because they always strive to be clear with their words. Language matters.

3. Pay your fair share: The sages also go into an extended discussion of taxes, and when we must pay them. Now this discussion is fascinating, especially given the controversy taxes provoke today.

An initial reading of the text gives the impression that the sages allowed deception. One rabbi seems to say you can mislead the tax collector if they ask you how much you owe!

But the other rabbis clarify that this teaching applies to an illegitimate tax collector. Before the rise of the modern state, a king would usually appoint several individuals to be tax collectors.

In fact, people would pay the king for this right.

In effect, the sovereign would outsource tax collection in the same way companies today outsource debt collection. The taxman would go out and collect money, take a percentage, and turn the rest over to the king.

Like modern debt collectors, they probably used creative ways to push people to pay. But also like modern debt collectors, there was tremendous room for fraud.

People would often appoint themselves tax collectors and simply take money from gullible households.

Jewish communities were frequently targeted by such fraudsters. So the rabbis sought to protect themselves while also living by and respecting the law of the land.

Render Unto Caeser…

You've probably heard the phrase from the New Testament, "Render unto Caeser what is Caeser's, and unto God what is God's." It was Jesus' way of telling followers to abide by the land of the law.

The Jewish sages had a similar saying. They taught, "Dina d'malchutah dina," which means, "the law of the land is the law."

This phrase is quite influential, yet it is only found four times in all 66 volumes of Talmud. One of them is in the pages we studied this week.

The sages understood that throughout history, God placed us in particular lands with particular laws. Following the laws of the land is the only way Jews could survive and fulfill the promise of Abraham, “to be a blessing unto the nations.”

Indeed, unlike some traditions, where civil disobedience was lauded, rabbinic Judaism was generally politically neutral. Home and synagogue mattered more than political intrigues and the king’s court.

This was especially true after the failed Jewish revolts again Rome in 70 C.E. and again in 132 C.E.

After these catastrophes, Jews simply sought to survive until they could return to a sovereign Jewish state. That finally happened in 1948.