Moses—Henry George's inspiration - Religious Foundations of Social Policy

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, The, Dec, 2001 by Aharon H. Shapiro

Would George consider the Mosaic tithes to be undesirable taxes on production? Not likely. In Moses' purely agrarian economy all rent differentials have been eliminated by an ideal land distribution. In theory all families would produce equal output, hence, taxes on output would fall equally upon all inhabitants. Thus tithes should satisfy George's canons of good taxation.

Another institution admired by George (1878:12) includes the remission of all debts every seventh (sabbatical) year (Deuteronomy 15). While cancellation of debt may be impractical in a modern society, the idea of abolishing inescapable grinding debt is laudable.

Assuredly, the seventh year abolition of debts demanded of lenders much faith in fellow human beings and in Providence. It is not easy for a lender to subscribe to "beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, 'The seventh year of release is at hand,' and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou lendest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be a sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because... the Lord shall bless thee in all thy works" (Deuteronomy 15:8-9).

Conclusion

As EXPECTED, HUMAN faith faltered during the post-biblical years. Hardship was created by the reluctance of lenders to issue loans at the approach of the Sabbatical year. An official circumvention of the sabbatical cancellation was finally devised in the first century B.C. Still, one may remark that our present laws allowing for bankruptcy and a fresh start are not extremely remote from Moses' cancellation rule.

George also congratulates Moses for introducing the Sabbath day. He argues that the day made workers more productive, not less, and "not merely happier but richer" (George 1878:20). It should be stressed that this invention of Judaism was unique. To this writer's knowledge, a weekly day of rest for all (even slaves and animals) has been practiced only by Judaism and its daughter religions of Christianity and Islam. Surcease is granted to unending drudgery, and a revival of the spirit is generated by the day of rest. George calls attention to a similar service provided by Moses' sabbatical year during which all farming ceases (George 1878:20). An entire year is devoted to refreshment of the mind, the soul, the very earth itself (Leviticus 25).

Henry George has focused on the implications of the Sabbath day, the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee Year. These three periods have a common theme, namely, restitutio ad integrum, or restoring society to the original wholesome condition that Moses sought to initiate. The Jubilee restored the original equal claim on the land to all persons. George would do this with his single tax on land. The Sabbatical year restored many people's equal claim on wealth. George, of course, ascribed much of the prevailing inequality to landowners' exploitation, which his single tax would eliminate.

The Sabbath day and the Sabbatical year, with their cessation of labor, restored equal dignity to all human beings. George suggested, in lieu of a Sabbatical year, relief from labor in the form of a shorter working day (George 1878:20).