{"id":64018,"date":"2019-10-03T16:11:46","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T13:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=64018"},"modified":"2023-04-30T17:57:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T14:57:33","slug":"temple-dues-renovations-and-building-funds-a-blueprint-for-the-ages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/temple-dues-renovations-and-building-funds-a-blueprint-for-the-ages\/","title":{"rendered":"Temple Dues, Renovations And Building Funds: A Blueprint For The Ages?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[723,778,777],"acf":{"old_id":"64018","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46656,"related_cahpter":"321","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Some things never change","content":"

Up until now when money was brought to the Temple for offerings, it became the property of the temple priests who, in addition to purchasing the relevant offerings, were responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the temple from their own purse. Added to that fund were the private donations that each priest procured \u201cfrom his benefactor (12:5)\u201d, meaning from his own personal contacts. This model has some obvious gaps, including a lack of accountability for spending and the risk of corruption and power imbalances that come from using personal contacts to raise funds. That is not to infer that the Temple priests engaged in anything untoward, but nevertheless, this system did not prove very successful and, in this chapter, we find a Temple in disrepair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

King Joash (of Judah) tries a different approach and sends the priests out to purposefully collect money for temple repairs but that too proves unsuccessful. So, the King implements an entirely new model: a collection box is placed inside the temple and everyone who comes is required to leave a donation. Essentially King Jehoash has instituted the first instance of synagogue membership dues (or perhaps the first building fund.)<\/span><\/p>\n

In this new budget model two people, the King\u2019s scribe and the high priest, collect, count and bag the money once the box is full, ensuring control and public accountability \u2013 standards of public finance that persist until today. And because the new fee is mandatory for all, but with some degree of anonymity, power imbalances and risk of corruption are minimized.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s synagogues largely maintain a blended model of the two presented in this chapter. Synagogues charge membership dues, assess building fund fees and rely on private donations \u2013 admittedly sometimes currying the favor of those with more means. In contrast, churches largely rely on donations without membership fees, but as reported in a 2010<\/span> Freakonomics report<\/span><\/a>, both models result in approximately equal contributions per member, so who\u2019s to say one model is better than the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is surprisingly missing from the new Temple model, however, is fiscal reporting requirements. For the extensive Temple renovation project, those in charge of hiring and paying the workers had complete autonomy, made possible because of the reported high degree of integrity and honesty among the profession at that time: \u201cfor they dealt honestly (12:15).\u201d\u00a0 Budget models aside, and not to disparage the profession, it\u2019s probably a good thing that that particular practice has not persisted.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":64019,"id":64019,"title":"2kings12-dues","filename":"2kings12-dues.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings12-dues.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/temple-dues-renovations-and-building-funds-a-blueprint-for-the-ages\/2kings12-dues\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings12-dues","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":64018,"date":"2019-10-03 13:11:34","modified":"2019-10-03 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