would your kids do this? Please be honest about it

freidasima

Mon, Apr 29 2013, 1:28 am

Raisin you are right, apartments here are small and as they are condo or whatever meaning we buy them and buy the machsan and actually own the lobby and under the building etc, it is like a private house. Again, these were "only" ikea furniture, had it been something seriously valuable I would never have left it outside my door, but it was definitely useable and we were using the bookcase in particular to put things on next to our machsan. The only reason it was outside it, was that the bookcase was taller than the machsan which is not normal room height but even less than two meters (6 feet). We mistakenly thought that as it is all covered, behind the building and not in sight from the outside or the back etc.

etky

Mon, Apr 29 2013, 2:53 am

A bit off topic but I've been thinking, in respect to the concept of private property, about Yovel and Shmitta, which are actually discussed in this weeks upcoming double-parsha, Behar - Bechukotay.
It struck me how this negation of the concept of private property is so revolutionary and so innately different from the emphasis that modern western society places on property rights and 'the pursuit of happiness" - a euphemism for the accretion of material wealth.
Every 7 years we get a reminder that there really is no such thing as 'private property', that everything, most importantly the Land, belongs to Hashem and all good derives from him. The concept of 'hefker' and the and socially progressive agricultural mitzvot that we are charged with - all these are meant to discourage our false sense of ownership of the Land which, in ancient times at least, was the basis of material prosperity.
We don't have yovel as of now (though there is discussion of reviving it in the future - that should be interesting!) but we do have shmitta which affects each and every one of us living in the Land. It dictates what we will eat, makes us pause and consider every time we as much as peel a fruit or vegetable and creates a beautiful scene, at least in our area where many people have fruit trees and gardens and almost everyone is observant - people put out signs saying "hefker' on their gardens and everyone can come in and pick what they want.