Jewish Ethics

Five Themes of Jewish Ethics

The following five themes of Jewish ethics were selected out of the vast ocean of Jewish literature because they are relevant to contemporary decision makers, especially in the context of business. There is no claim that this list is exhaustive or that it includes the most important issues in the history of Jewish ethics. Furthermore, the descriptions and interpretations that follow are not necessarily universally accepted in Judaism. The claim is being [Page 1209]made, however, that these themes provide a useful and practical launching point for a consideration of the use of Jewish ethics in business.

Judaism underscores the importance of right actions. It is certainly not the case that Judaism is indifferent to right intentions and correct beliefs as has sometimes been asserted. Perhaps no value is more important in Judaism than the study of Torah. Nevertheless, in Judaism, there is a clear preference for appropriate actions and good deeds. As one famous Talmudic sage noted in the Ethics of the Fathers, “Say little and do much.”

Traditionally, it has been understood that Jews have been commanded to observe 613 mitzvot or commandments. These mitzvot are contained in both the Written Torah (the Jewish Bible) and the Oral Torah (the Mishna, Talmud, and related commentaries) and have been identified and elaborated in every generation by Jewish scholars for thousands of years. In Judaism, it is believed that human action is necessary for both human welfare and for God for repair the world (tikkun olam).

There is a famous and often quoted rabbinic statement cited in the Jerusalem Talmud that illustrates the seemingly unlimited power of right action and good deeds. “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.”

Jewish ethics is focused on the here and now. In every instance, the rabbis made an attempt to interpret, develop, and apply Jewish law and ethics in light of contemporary social and economic conditions.

Judaism teaches that each individual person is endowed with free choice (see especially Deuteronomy 30:19). Further, Judaism rejects outright the belief in original sin. The ancient rabbis meticulously and creatively interpreted every single word of the Written Torah. A good example of this can be found in their understanding of the following biblical verse. “And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31, italics added). In this case, the rabbis asked themselves why the text included the seemingly extraneous word “very”? How does this word add to the meaning of this verse, as it must? Here is how they answered this

...