Deuteronomy 15:7-8
“If there is a needy person with you, one of your brothers, in any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother; but you shall open your hand wide to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
Deuteronomy is a collection of speeches given by Moses to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, around the 7th century BCE. These verses are part of a larger section outlining laws for community life, particularly focusing on how to treat the poor and manage debt within an agricultural society.
How might a system designed for a primarily agricultural, communal society translate to modern, complex economies?