The prophets are an important source of ethical principals:
“Take away from Me the noise of your songs:
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters.
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:21 – 24)
All the passages suggest that right conduct is of as much importance as ritual observance. It is not saying that cultic worship, sacrificial etc is a bad thing, or even that it is unimportant, but that it is not as valuable as right of conduct. The rabbis did not make a distinction, ‘ Be meticulous in observing a minor precept as a major one.’ They meant it is just as important to light a candle on the Sabbath as it is to follow the rule don’t kill.
One of the main important principles has always been the imitation of God. It means that in all one’s conduct, you should model oneself to the Divine Attributes. Maimonides said the principle is indeed one of the 613 mitzvot, he derives it from the injunction you shall ‘walk in His ways’. It is also evident in ‘You shall be holy; for I the Lord God am holy’ (Leviticus 19:2) Rabbis reaffirmed and enlarged the doctrine, saying basically, merciful, gracious, righteous and faithful may all be applied to God, so should then be aspired to people.
‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18) was declared the greatest principle of the Torah, by Akiva. It is the ‘golden rule’. Hillel thought this was very true and is believed to have said of this principle:
‘that is the essence of the Torah, the rest is commentary.’
The Golden Rule can be understood in a positive and negative sense. Negatively, it means that it is wrong to harm fellow human deliberately, in any way at all. Sanctity if life is regarded very highly, it is based creation in God’s image. The rabbis were very strict regarding wrongful conviction, in order to avoid unjustly split blood: ‘He who destroys a life destroys the world entire’ (Sanhedrin). There are other violations of the Golden Rule which are condemned in the nineteenth chapter of Leviticus, such as not stealing and not to lie to one another. There are other revealing principles including that one’s neighbour’s property should be dear to one as one’s own (Avot 2). All verbal wrongs and malicious talk are condemned and shaming ones neighbour equates with ‘shedding blood’.
There are also lots of positive action of the Golden Rule. The positive fulfillment of the Golden Rule is known in Jewish tradition as gemilut chasadim, ‘the performance of deeds of loving kindness’. Simon the Just said that along with worship at the Temple and study at the Torah, this sustains the world. The Golden Rule does not exclue enemies. An eye for an eye only refers to law courts, not private relationships. It should not be taken literally. It was actually designed to prevent private revenge and vindictiveness. Retribution has always been understood metaphorically, as implying financial recompense.
"Tzedakah" is the Hebrew word for the acts of charity. The nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word "charity" suggests benevolence and generosity. The word "tzedakah" is a bit different, it is derived from the Hebrew Tzade-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due. Traditional Jews give at least ten percent of their income to charity. Traditional Jewish homes commonly have a pushke, a box for collecting coins for the poor, and coins are routinely placed in the box. Jewish youths are continually going from door to door collecting for various worthy causes. In Jewish life, giving to charity is an almost instinctive Jewish response to express thanks to , to ask forgiveness from God, or to request a favor from God. According to Jewish tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great that a beggar actually does the giver a favor by giving a person the opportunity to perform tzedakah. Giving to the poor is an obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are themselves in need. Some sages have said that tzedakah is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper. Tzedakah is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins. The High Holiday liturgy states that G-d has inscribed a judgment against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), and tzedakah can reverse the decree.
In the Talmud, Samuel says, ‘the law of the state is the law’. A Jewish person should person should always obey the law of the land, even if it slightly disrespects Judaism. Jews tend to always support the state and support it and pray for it in the Synagogue. R.Eleazar saw one death in seventy years as extreme. They think the death penalty is definitely wrong, you should never condemn someone to death.
Contributing to the prosperity of a society and working is an obligation. Work is considered important economically and psychologically (self respect). Employers must be just, and slavery was humanized, including Shabbat and a limited service of six years. Commerce must be conducted honestly and justly: ‘You shall have just balances, just weighs, a just epah, and a just hin’. (Leviticus 19:36) It also says you must not wrong a neighbour when buying and selling. The old, widowed, poor, foreigner, orphaned, handicapped and stranger should be singled out for special help. Interest was forbidden, although it became a necessity in the middle of ages.
Judaism teaches respect for nature as God’s creation: ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and those who dwell therein’ (Psalms 24:1). Ibn Ezra said man is God’s steward on earth. There are lots of passages on animal welfare, like one may not buy an animal if they are not able to look after it, and that one should always feed their animals before sitting down for their own meal. Hunting would not be looked on favorably. It was strongly condemned by the eighteenth century rabbi, Ezikiel Landau, in one of the response. He said: ‘It is not the way of the children of Abraham, Issac and Jacob’. The Noahchide Laws teaches compassion for animals. Conservation is an obligation for one’s descendents: ‘As my ancestors labored for me, so I labored for my children’ (Midrash).
