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This week we read about the Torah’s first and only financial audit. Moshe gives a line-by-line account of all the ins and outs of the Mishkan’s accounts: what was donated, how much, and what it was used for.There is a debate among the Meforshim as to whether this audit was commanded by Hashem, requested by the people, or initiated by Moshe for the sake of transparency.However, there is a mysterious omission. The Torah tells us exactly how much gold was collected, but unlike the silver and copper, it does not tell us what the gold was used for. Any auditor would instantly notice this discrepancy.The Toldos Yitzchak, R’ Yitzchak Kairo—uncle of the famous R’ Yossef Kairo—suggests two possible approaches. Firstly, the gold was donated only by the wealthier members of Bnei Yisrael. Such people were generally more relaxed about their finances and saw no need for an audit. They were happy to trust Moshe, whereas the poorer individuals who donated silver and copper were more scrupulous and demanded accountability.Secondly, the gold was needed for so many things: the Aron, the Menorah, the Shulchan, the covering beams, and the weaving of priestly garments. There was absolutely no way the amount of gold donated could cover all these needs—it was clearly a miracle. So evident was the need for a miracle that giving a precise accounting would have been meaningless.May we continue to experience miraculous results in this war, which defies statistics and all rational understanding.For any Mishkan related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at aharon@goldwaterfs.co.il. Good Shabbos.

Vayakhel-Pikudei 5786 – Magical Numbers

Ancient Roman coin hoard, lot of old money in wooden pot, vintage background. Concept of Rome, antique, texture, civilization and history

What’s the fairest way to tax people?Should everyone pay the same fixed amount of money every year? Should everyone pay the same percentage of their income every year? Maybe only those who have above-average earnings or assets should have to pay? Or perhaps those who take the most from the system in services?These are questions that every country must deal with each year when it sets a budget and decides on its tax laws.When the Bnei Yisrael in the desert had to raise money to build the Mishkan, there was an interesting blend of approaches. Rashi (30:15) tells us that there were three collections:The sockets at the bottom of the Mishkan’s beams – half a shekel per person. The annual communal Korbanos – also half a shekel per person. All other materials needed – whatever each person wanted to give, inevitably resulting in the wealthier giving more. The first two half-shekels per person were simultaneously used as a means of counting the people. One can therefore understand why it was vital to have an equal amount per person.The Chizkuni adds that this was important in order to imbue the foundations of the Mishkan and the Korbanos with a sense of equity. Every person would have an equal share in the Mishkan and the Korbanos, because every person was equal.Reb Yehuda HaChossid, brought in Moshav Zekeinim, offers a unique explanation which bridges the gap between the necessity of equal amounts for the purpose of the census and the seeming unfairness of the rich and poor needing to give the same amount. He says that initially everyone donated whatever silver they could in accordance with their financial position. Then Moshe took all the silver and melted it into half-shekel coins. These coins were distributed to everyone and then subsequently donated and counted. This ensured that everyone was counted fairly.This week we gave three half-shekels to charity as a custom in memory of the annual donations towards the Korbanos. The Gemara in Megillah says that these shekels pre-empted the shekels that Haman offered to pay Achashverosh to destroy the Jews.May our shekels pre-empt the Hamans and K-Haman-is of our day!For any half shekel related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at aharon@goldwaterfs.co.il. Good Shabbos.

Ki Sisa 5786 – More Equal

Close up of a pile of Hamantaschen Cookies

Where does the word “tax” appear in the Megillah?The answer is, of course, the last perek.“And King Achashverosh placed a tax upon all the land and the islands.” (10:1)Why is this relevant to the story? How is it connected to the miracle? Surely it wasn’t included merely to provide content for the world’s first and only Torah &amp; Taxes blog.The Brisker Rov explains that this, too, was part and parcel of the miracle. After Achashverosh gave the Jews the opportunity not only to save themselves but also to defeat their enemies, many antisemites were left deeply unhappy. A large group had supported Haman and would have been perfectly content to see the Jews massacred. These people could easily have turned their resentment into a rebellion against the king — yet they did not.Why not? Logically, things should not have simply continued as normal. The kingdom had undergone major upheaval and widespread confusion. However, Hashem had another plan: miraculously, everything calmed down.What greater sign of stability and normalcy is there than taxes?Achashverosh was not a particularly powerful ruler — yet he even managed to impose a tax increase without unrest.Purim teaches us to look beyond the mundane, to peer past the mask and the external appearances. Even in something as bland and ordinary as taxes, there is a Divine hand calmly and quietly guiding the world in the right direction.For any sober advice or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at aharon@goldwaterfs.co.il.&nbsp;Happy Purim!!!!

Purim 5786 – And they all went home and got Taxed

GIVE and TAKE word on real white speech bubble paper cut transfer arrow on yellow background,  Business give , charity, knowhow,  take concept

This week’s Parsha discusses the building of the Mishkan and begins where every good Jewish project needs to start — fundraising.The Torah uses rather peculiar language when giving the commandment: “take for Me a donation.” Surely it should say “give” a donation, not take?The Ibn Ezra brings examples from various places in Tanach showing that the words “give” and “take” are sometimes used interchangeably.The Netziv points out that the commandment was directed primarily at the leadership of the community, from Moshe downward, to organize the collections. They were commanded to encourage — and, when necessary, even compel — the masses to contribute what was needed for the Mishkan.The Brisker Rav goes so far as to say that there was no obligation on the individual to donate at all. Rather, there was an obligation that the Mishkan be built, and it fell upon the community collectively to ensure that this goal was achieved. Whoever was inspired by the cause and chose to contribute did so as a personal merit.Most tax systems are not so forgiving. Not only is each individual expected to pay their own liabilities, but — as many first-timers are surprised to learn — the responsibility for calculating that liability rests on them as well. Some people say that if the government wants their money, it should come and get it. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. Citizens are legally obligated to report their income and pay their liabilities.Additionally, there is often disappointment that the money is spent on things not quite as lofty as the Mishkan.For any Mishkan related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at aharon@goldwaterfs.co.il. Good Shabbos.

Terumah 5786 – Give & Take

Close-up of the poor or homeless Homeless people ask for money in public. The poor beggar in the city sat on the stairs with a silver mug.

It has long been understood in many countries that the tax system should be built in a way that the wealthier pay more tax — that those with the broadest shoulders should carry the greatest burden. This is done by increasing the percentage tax rate as the level of income rises. However, this creates a backlash in that it disincentivizes people from earning more money, as the extra effort is proportionally taxed at a higher rate.In Israel, the top 20% of earners paid 80% of the income tax last year. Similar ratios exist in other Western countries.In this week’s Parsha, judges are warned to judge poor and rich alike: “Do not show favoritism to a poor person in judgment” (23:3).Rashi explains that a judge should not rationalize that the rich person is obligated to support the poor person anyway through charity. Surely it would be better for the poor person to receive his funds through a legal ruling rather than have to ask for handouts.Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch goes further in explaining why this potential rationalization is wrong. Dignity for the poor person is not achieved through handouts, even if they come via a legal mechanism. The greatest honour and pride society can give an individual is to treat him as worthy and equal before the law. This poor person may be financially struggling, but the courts must not cut corners for him. Lowering the bar for him would only diminish his own sense of self-respect. There could be no greater damage.Tax systems should encourage people to be increasingly productive and ultimately turn takers into givers. It is what is best for both the individual and society as a whole.For any handout related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at aharon@goldwaterfs.co.il. Good Shabbos.

Mishpatim 5786 – Tax the Poor

They say delegation is the art of leadership.The Jewish people have had some truly great leaders throughout our illustrious history, none more so than Moshe Rabeinu. This leads many commentators to be baffled by Moshe’s seeming lack of foresight in this week’s Parsha. Why did he need Yisro’s advice to create a system of judges and delegate simpler cases to lower-ranking circuits? How could he have missed such a basic point?The Abarbanel quotes “those who say” that Moshe was too caught up in his prophecies to pay attention to mundane matters such as the logistics of a court system. He rejects this suggestion as unacceptably degrading to Moshe.He proposes a far more sophisticated approach. There has been much debate, from the Gemoro onwards, regarding the chronology of this week’s Parsha. When did Yisro come to the Bnei Yisrael in the desert—before or after Matan Torah? One of the central issues in this discussion is: what laws was Moshe judging the people by? He could not have judged based on Torah law before the Torah was given.The Abarbanel says that Yisro came before Matan Torah. Moshe was not judging based on Torah laws, but rather on the general commandment to judge fairly, received at Mara. This commandment did not come with strict guidelines, but rather a broad-stroke approach of fairness and equity. Moshe realized that it would be impossible to delegate such a system of laws to lower judges. Who decides what is fair? He understood that any case could simply be deemed legitimate to escalate to the highest authority. When there are no clear guidelines, everything is grey, and every matter is open to dispute.Yisro saw that this was unsustainable, even in the short term, due to the personal toll on Moshe, and therefore advised an immediate adjustment.Both Israel and the USA have court systems ultimately headed by a Supreme Court. However, there is a major difference between the two systems. The USA is a relatively older country with a far larger population. Its laws have been written, tested, and refined, and therefore have an extremely solid foundation and systemization. Israel, by contrast, is a young country still developing its systems. The tax code and legal system contain large amounts of ambiguity and interpretation.This explains why, per capita, Israelis are over seven times more likely to file a petition to the Supreme Court than Americans. One wonders what Yisro would think of this.For any court related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at aharon@goldwaterfs.co.il. Good Shabbos.

Torah & Taxes Blog

Vayakhel-Pikudei 5786 – Magical Numbers

Ki Sisa 5786 – More Equal

Purim 5786 – And they all went home and got Taxed

Terumah 5786 – Give & Take

Mishpatim 5786 – Tax the Poor

Yisro 5786 – Rules are Rules