With All Your Possessions
The Challenge of Wealth
Al Chet: Sins in the Marketplace
With All Your Possessions: Jewish Ethics and Economic Life
Review by Murray Levine "Ethics in Everyday Life" The Jewish Spectator 1987
Judaism did not develop a specific economic theory or system. Instead, writes Meir Tamari, "It proposes a moral-religious framework within which the theory or system must operate." The framework is that there is a divine economy that posits that the earth is the Lord's and man has an allotted share. It follows that we have the obligation to conserve and preserve our share. "Halacha is the practical means of applying to daily life concepts of God's ownership of material goods, man's stewardship of these goods, and God's active participation in man's economic success."
It is seldom that one finds such a wealth of material simply written by a scholar utilizing authentic Jewish sources still relevant in a single volume. Tamari writes comprehensively and expertly on Judaism's economics in the Halacha and in Jewish life.
Review by Michael Novak who holds the George Frederick Jewett Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, New York Times
"Since these intellectual foundations are now the inheritance of all of us, this hand book will be invaluable for teachers of business ethics today, of whatever religious or humanistic framework, for it serves as an intelligent guide to the longest sustained (and concrete) tradition in thinking about commercial activities in the Western world. Mr. Tamari helps us know ourselves a little better."
With All Your Possessions: Jewish Ethics and Economic Life
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The Challenge of Wealth : A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Spending Money
Review by Dr. Lawrence R. Klein, Benjamin Franklin Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Pennsylvania
"It takes a rare combination of talent and deep scholarship in two fields - Jewish religion and economics - to provide a sophisticated Jewish interpretation of individual economic activity. Meir Tamari is one of the few persons who truly understands both fields. There have been other religious interpretations of economic terms of behavior and performance, in the form of Catholic pastoral letters and Muslim, Buddhist, or Protestant studies, but very few modern interpretations for persons leading a conscious Jewish life. Tamari's book makes an extremely valuable contribution toward filling the void."
Review by Herbert Stein, Senior Fellow, The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
"What role should ethical guides play in an economy organized on the principle that individuals pursue their self-interest, and what should the guides be? These have always been important questions, but recent scandals, in both private and public life, have brought them forcefully to our attention.
Meir Tamari's new book, The Challenge of Wealth: A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Spending Money, provides valuable illumination of those questions. Jewish sages have been thinking about them, in real-world applications and with biblical precepts in mind, for two millennia. Tamari gives a clear and provocative account of their reasoning and their conclusions. Even readers who do not share the Jewish tradition and may not accept the conclusions that flow from it will get a better view of the issues that must be faced. Beyond that, to see hundreds of supple and serious minds at work over the centuries is a delight."
The Challenge of Wealth : A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Spending Money
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Al Chet: Sins in the Marketplace
The viduy, or confessional, is the central prayer on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Recited both silently and by the cantor, the viduy is a confession of sins committed both individually and as a community. Each line of the prayer begins with al chet shechatanu, "for the sin which we have committed." A major theme of the viduy is social immorality and unethical behavior.
In Al Chet: Sins in the Marketplace, Meir Tamari, a renowned authority in the field of Jewish business ethics, explores the viduy specifically as it relates to the business world. Within Judaism's rich body of texts, there are discussions relevant to contemporary business issues, including insider trading, limited liability corporations, false advertising, and the pirating of computer software. Using the viduy as a guide, Tamari explores the sins resulting from business activities using textual material culled from the Bible, the Mishnah, and the Talmud, the homiletic literature and moralistic texts, as well as sayings and stories from some of the greatest rabbis in Jewish history.
Following a discussion of teshuvah, "repentance," and the necessity of confession to achieve it, thirteen specific sins are explained. Some, such as "bribery" and "usury and interest," are obvious in their relation to business ethics. Others are less clear but perhaps more important, such as "brazen arrogance," which can lead to the browbeating of competitors, employees, and debtors, and "callousness," which can result in ignoring the needs of the disadvantaged or the harassment of employees. Subconscious drives such as gluttony, envy, and jealousy are also explored as they relate to business. For example, the blurring of needs and wants that results in gluttony also plays a role in the search for a constantly rising standard of living. To conclude, the author presents Judaism's ways of avoiding and atoning for these sins, so that "you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:18).
Psalm 15, which presents eleven cardinal principles of Jewish observance, all concerning the earning and spending of money, forms a striking epilogue to this thought-provoking volume. Whether studied in anticipation of Yom Kippur or used as a guide for personal and professional life, the insights revealed here will be invaluable to all entrepreneurs, creditors, debtors, employers, employees, producers, and consumers.
Al Chet: Sins in the Marketplace
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