Jewish Business Ethics

Book excerpt: 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.