|
Jewish business ethics is a form of applied Jewish ethics that examines ethical issues that arise in a business environment. It is noted 〔Dr. Meir Tamari (The Challenge of Wealth - Introduction )〕 that in the Torah, there are over 100 ''Mitzvot'' concerning the ''kashrut'' (fitness) of one's money, many more, in fact, than concerning the ''kashrut'' of food. The subject thus receives an extensive treatment in Rabbinic literature, both from an ethical (''Mussar'') and a legal (''Halakha'') point of view. ==Ethical perspective== The general gravity with which business ethics are treated in Jewish thought is illustrated by the widely quoted 〔Mentioned, for example, in the popular Halachik work ''Kitzur Shulchan Aruch'' ((ch 62 )).〕 Talmudic tradition (Shabbat (31a )) that in one's judgement in the next world the ''first'' question asked is: "were you honest in business?" In addition to this, and numerous other Talmudic passages, the Mussar and Chassidic literature also discuss business ethics at great length. Examples follow. ''Aggadic'' and Midrashic discussions relating to honesty in business include the following. Yoma (86:B ), is an often cited example, where this obligation is examined in the context of profanation of God’s Name () and of the Love of God (). To position the question, a ''Talmudic'' dictum (''Bava Kamma'' 30a) states: “He who wishes to achieve saintliness should study the () order of Nezikin.” Avot de-Rabbi Natan teaches that “character is tested through business.” 〔Avot D’rabi Natan, ed. Schechter, version B, Chap. 31, p. 68〕 The major Mishnaic principle of ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' - which underpins much ''Hashkafah'' and Jewish thought - requires that one earns one's living through productive labor, while also warning against materialism; see section #Earning a livelihood there. ''Kiddushin'' (4:14 ) discusses a general approach to work, and the ideal that one's profession be "clean", i.e. without prospect for dishonesty. The ''Mesillat Yesharim'', considered a foundational Mussar text, devotes much discussion to honesty in business, and the role this plays as regards character development in general; see for example (Ch 11 ). Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin Salanter (19th century), founder of the Musar movement in Eastern Europe, put a great deal of emphasis on business ethics, and taught that just as one checks carefully to make sure their food is kosher, so too should one check to see if his money is earned in a kosher fashion.〔Chofetz Chaim, Sfat Tamim, chapter 5〕 The Chofetz Chaim’s first published work concerned honesty in weights and measures. Some examples in Chassidic thought follow; for further resources here see 〔chabad.org : (Business Ethics )〕 and.〔The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute: ( Money Matters: Jewish Business Ethics )〕 Based on a ''Maamar'' of the Lubavitch Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, it is learned that meditation and prayer, while spiritually transformative, do not match the power of doing business ethically ((''Padah B’Shalom'', 5739 )).〔Tzvi Freeman: (The Kabbalah of Making Money ).〕 The Admor of Belz, Rabbi Aharon Rokeach, in discussing the angels descending and ascending on the ladder seen in the dream of Ya'akov, notes that the ''gematria'' value of ''sulam'', ladder, is equivalent to that of ''kesef'', money. The teaching here is that while a few are able to ascend spiritually in the way they earn and spend their money others, instead, descend here. Indeed, therefore, "nowhere in the whole field of human activity are the lusts and needs that need separation and religious guidance greater than in this field of human activity". The "Shelah", Isaiah Horowitz, states (in ''Sha'ar Haotiyot'') that :“The Mezzuzah that we affix to the doorpost is connected to the things that we bring in and take out of our houses. We gather into our homes the wealth that G-d has bestowed upon us. All should therefore be in truth and in faith as befits a house on which the Law of G-d is inscribed on the door posts. This is the secret of conducting one's business in faithfulness. In other words, what one brings into the house,that is what one earns, should be in faithfulness. What we take out, what we spend our money on should also be in faith.” 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jewish business ethics」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|