Maimonides on Equality and the Problem of Expensive Tastes

To what degree should markets be regulated? To what degree must the community cater to the needs of the destitute? These questions are already debated in the Talmud. An interesting ruling by Maimonides, together with Philip Wexler's recent discussion of the Rebbe's concept of "reciprocity," offers new perspective on contemporary debates about the meaning of equality.