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Book Review - "The Ethical Imperative"
Yitzchak Kasdan

Book Review - "The Ethical Imperative"

by Yitzchak Kasdan

BOOK REVIEW
The Ethical Imperative: Torah Perspectives on Ethics and Values
[Edited by Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, 584 pages (Mesorah Publications, 2000)]

Yitzchak Kasdan

As an experienced attorney, I am quite aware of the meaning of "appearance of impropriety" and of the need for full disclosure.

Hence, two revelations:

First, I have had a hand in the publication of "The Ethical Imperative", though I have no financial stake in its success or failure. Second, I am the author or co-author of two of its (more than 60) essays.

With those admissions out of the way, let me tell you, in a nutshell, why you should buy and read this book: It is a significant and long overdue, plain English volume addressing exceedingly "timely" topics - in the words of the late Rabbi Moshe Sherer, quoted in the volume's introduction - "from the perspective of timeless values."

The serious, contemporary issues that this volume encompasses are well-summarized by the titles of its eight sections: "Business Ethics/Workplace Issues"; "Combating Societal Influences"; "The Beis Din (Jewish court) Process"; "Legislative Concerns"; "Public Postures and Policies"; "Introspection and Self-Improvement"; "Outreach on the Job" and "Of Role Models and Giants of Impeccable Integrity."

Within those chapters, the broad and diverse range of matters discussed from the perspectives of Jewish religious law and Jewish philosopy include, but by no means are limited to: Sanctification (and the opposite) of God's Name, teaching Torah ethics and truth, employer-employee relationships, tax fraud, the risks and rewards of insularity, career choices for Yeshiva students, the enforcement of Jewish religious court judgments, the Halachic living will and brain death and organ transplantation.

The book's essays are taken primarily, albeit not exclusively, from the pages of The Jewish Observer, the periodical edited by the book's editor, Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, over the course of the past thirty-five years. They were penned by respected Torah leaders, rabbinic scholars, distinguished educators and writers, current and former lay Jewish leaders, and finally (but by no means less importantly given their messages) "unknown" professionals and businessmen.

Too often, we lose sight of the role that Jewish religious law plays in matters like how we go about earning a living and spending our money. We are in some respects uneducated about, and in others neglectful of, Judaism's dictates in the realm of financial affairs. And there is always the often negative influence, directly or indirectly, of the larger society in which we reside and work. Consequently, we forget that, as Jews, our focus throughout life, even with regard to the material, should be on the spiritual - on what our religious heritage considers right and wrong. Indeed, the unifying message of all the contributors to The Ethical Imperative is a call for the study and application of such Torah values in our everyday, business and personal lives. The essays' authors delineate how to serve God through fulfillment of eternal Jewish laws and ethics, not society's ever-shifting concepts of morality and mores. And, to their and the editor's credit, they do so in highly readable prose, inspiring parables and true stories.

In short, their goal - and that of the book itself - is to help the reader take a step back, view his or her life from the Torah's perspective and assess where reorientation might be called for. And that's something all of us, wherever we may be on the spectrum of ritual Jewish observance, can greatly benefit from.

AM ECHAD RESOURCES
[Yitzchak Kasdan, who resides with his family in Silver Spring, Maryland, serves as the editor of the "Jewish Law" web site ( http://www.jlaw.com.)]