Jewish Business Ethics

The Orthodox Forum, convened by Dr. Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University, meets each year to consider major issues of concern to the Jewish community. Forum participants from throughout the world, including academicians in both Jewish and secular fields, rabbis, rashei yeshivah, Jewish educators, and Jewish communal professionals, gather in conference as a think tank to discuss and critique each other's original papers, examining different aspects of a central theme. The purpose of the Forum is to create and disseminate a new and vibrant Torah literature addressing the critical issues facing Jewry today.

The main idea upon which the essays in this book are built is that the power and success of business is ultimately based on one's beliefs about life's meaning. It is no exaggeration to suggest that corporate success is set in motion and encouraged by a set of core ethics values shared by managers, employees, and stockholders. This book reflects the unflinching belief that traditional Jewish sources provide useful and practical paradigms and solutions to many important issues facing the modern business manager. Jewish business ethics must begin by taking both business and Jewish ethics seriously.

Aaron Levine is Samson and Halina Bitensky professor of Economics at Yeshiva University. Dr. Levine has written widely on the interface of economics and Jewish Law. His books include Free Enterprise and Jewish Law, Economics and Jewish Law, and Economic Public Policy and Jewish Law.

Moses L. Pava is professor of Accounting and holds the Alvin Einbender Chair in Business Ethics at the Sym Syms School of Business, Yeshiva University. Among his books are Business Ethics: A Jewish Perspective and The Search for Meaning in Organizations. He is also the editor-in-chief of Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations.