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| הֶעָנִי עוֹמֵד בַּחוּץ The poor man stands outside |
Introduction
This article, based extensively on the research by Professor Gregg Gardner,[1] explores issues of status, wealth and poverty in Mishnaic writing and thought. During Mishnaic times (10-210 CE), detailed discussions are developed around biblical principles concerning tithing and how sections of a field are set aside for the poor. So we know that a poor class certainly existed - but what was the socioeconomic standing of the rabbis who formulated those laws? Were they rich or poor, or somewhere in between, and were their laws concerning the poor, perhaps informed by their own economic reality?
