Jewish Thought

Selling the tools of violence to people prone to violence violates the biblical prohibition of "setting a stumbling block before the blind."

Theft in Jewish Law. Business Ethics and Jewish Law. Jewish Business Ethics. Jewish Work and Commerce.

Non-disclosure, conflict of interest, easy credit all violate the biblical injunction not to

Insider trading--using privileged knowledge for profit in the stock market--violates many Jewish principles.

Shortchanging a customer in weight or measure, even mere possession of defective weights or measures, is a punishable offense -- and a moral failing.

Advertising deals in dissatisfaction, argues one environmental activist. We buy to cure deficiencies that ads mercilessly invent, encouraging us to covet what others have.

The Torah forbids fraud in pricing and in weights and measures. Prophets and sages rail against those who violate these laws.

The Torah admonishes us to "love God" with our material possessions -- that is, not to keep our religious values and economic lives in separate compartments

Balancing between the importance of Jewish behavior and the meaning that Jews find in those behaviors creates a productive tension that defines Jewish life.

What is unfair competition in business? There are many Jewish answers.

Jewish law has plenty to say about conducting business: accurate weights and measures, overcharging, verbal deception, false packaging and much more.

The ancient rabbinic sages did not see degradation of the natural environment as a systemic problem: but we can learn from their legislation addressing the more local environmental issues of which they were aware.