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how might modern economic systems make it harder or easier to apply this principle?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8

“If there is with you a poor man, one of your brothers, within 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 poor brother; but you shall open your hand wide to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wants.”

This passage comes from the book of Deuteronomy, a collection of Moses' speeches to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. It sets out laws and principles for how they are to live in community, including how to care for the vulnerable among them.

What does 'opening your hand wide' mean in a society structured by complex economic forces rather than direct neighbor-to-neighbor needs?

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Read alongside it

Leviticus 25:35-37
This passage also calls for helping the poor without charging interest, emphasizing communal responsibility.
Proverbs 28:27
It reinforces the idea that giving to the poor leads to blessing, while ignoring them leads to curses.
Matthew 25:35-40
Jesus identifies himself with the poor and vulnerable, making care for them a direct act of service to him.

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