The Book of Jewish Values A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living
, by Telushkin, JosephNote: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780609603307 | 0609603302
- Cover: Hardcover
- Copyright: 2/22/2000
InThe Book of Jewish Values, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has combed the Bible, the Talmud, and the whole spectrum of Judaism's sacred writings to give us a manual on how to lead a decent, kind, and honest life in a morally complicated world. Telushkin speaks to the major ethical issues of our time, issues that have, of course, been around since the beginning. He offers one or two pages a day of pithy, wise, and easily accessible teachings designed to be put into immediate practice. The range of the book is as broad as life itself: The first trait to seek in a spouse (Day 17) When, if ever, lying is permitted (Days 71-73) Why acting cheerfully is a requirement, not a choice (Day 39) What children don't owe their parents (Day 128) Whether Jews should donate their organs (Day 290) An effective but expensive technique for curbing your anger (Day 156) How to raise truthful children (Day 298) What purchases are always forbidden (Day 3) In addition, Telushkin raises issues with ethical implications that may surprise you, such as the need to tip those whom you don't see (Day 109), the right thing to do when you hear an ambulance siren (Day 1), and why wasting time is a sin (Day 15). Whether he is telling us what Jewish tradition has to say about insider trading or about the relationship between employers and employees, he provides fresh inspiration and clear guidance for every day of our lives.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, spiritual leader and scholar, is the author of <i>Jewish Literacy</i>, the most widely read book on Judaism of the past two decades. Another of his books, <i>Words That Hurt, Words That Heal</i>, was the motivating force behind Senators Joseph Lieberman and Connie Mack's 1996 Senate Resolution #151 to establish a "National Speak No Evil Day" throughout the United States. Rabbi Telushkin serves as a senior associate of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and is the rabbi of the Los Angeles-based Synagogue for the Performing Arts. He lives with his family in New York City and lectures regularly throughout the United States.
Acknowledgments | p. VII |
Introduction | p. 1 |
On Hearing a Siren | p. 3 |
"Let Your Fellow's Money Be as Precious to You as Your Own" | p. 4 |
The Purchase That Is Always Forbidden | p. 6 |
"What Would God Want Me to Do?" | p. 8 |
Be Generous Even When Your Instincts Are Lazy | p. 9 |
When You're Tempted to Cheat | p. 10 |
Shabbat | p. 11 |
Give Cheerfully | p. 11 |
When a Person Says "I'm Hungry" | p. 13 |
Don't Play Favorites | p. 14 |
Don't Make Your Family Afraid of You | p. 15 |
Support Political Asylum | p. 17 |
Bless Your Children | p. 18 |
Shabbat | p. 20 |
Don't Waste Time | p. 21 |
"Stay Away from a Bad Neighbor" | p. 23 |
The First Trait to Look for in a Spouse | p. 25 |
"Love Your Wife as Yourself" | p. 26 |
Respect Your In-Laws | p. 27 |
Don't Speak Unless You Have Something to Say | p. 29 |
Shabbat | p. 30 |
If You Have a Bad Temper | p. 31 |
If You Have a Bad Temper (2) | p. 33 |
Find Excuses for Behavior That Seems Unkind | p. 34 |
"Judge the Whole of a Person Favorably" | p. 36 |
Return Lost Objects | p. 37 |
"As Long as the Candle Is Burning..." | p. 39 |
Shabbat | p. 40 |
Don't "Steal" Another Person's Mind | p. 40 |
Who Is Wise? | p. 42 |
The Special Obligation to Visit and Help People, Particularly Poor People, Who Are Sick | p. 44 |
Visiting the Sick: Seven Suggestions | p. 45 |
A Gynecologist from New Jersey, a Lawyer from Brooklyn | p. 48 |
Sharing Helpful News | p. 49 |
Shabbat | p. 51 |
Is a Jew Permitted to Smoke? | p. 51 |
When Not Giving Charity Is the Highest Charity | p. 54 |
Give Money When Times Are Hard | p. 56 |
Acting Cheerfully Is Not a Choice | p. 57 |
One Must Always Greet Another Person | p. 59 |
Should a Recovering Alcoholic Drink Wine on Shabbat and at the Seder? | p. 61 |
Shabbat | p. 63 |
The Jewish Ethics of Speech: What Is Lashon Hara? | p. 64 |
Don't Pass on Negative Comments | p. 65 |
The Sin That No One Ever Acknowledges Committing | p. 67 |
When Confrontation Is Desirable | p. 68 |
"You Shall Not Ill-Treat Any ... Orphan" | p. 70 |
Why Refraining from Gossiping Is an Important Challenge | p. 72 |
Shabbat | p. 73 |
Tzedaka Is More Than Charity | p. 74 |
Fight Fairly | p. 76 |
A Day Without Rumors; How About a Week? | p. 78 |
When Is It Appropriate to Pass On a Rumor? | p. 79 |
Some Thoughts for a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah | p. 80 |
Learning from the Bad to Do Good | p. 82 |
Shabbat | p. 84 |
Love the Stranger | p. 84 |
The Torah on the Blind and the Deaf | p. 86 |
Standing Up for Justice | p. 87 |
Don't Buy Products Produced by Exploited Workers | p. 88 |
Everybody Deserves a "Tenk You" | p. 89 |
The Need for Moral Imagination | p. 90 |
Shabbat | p. 91 |
"One Who Learns from His Companion a Single Chapter" | p. 92 |
Cite Your Sources | p. 93 |
Who Is Rich? | p. 94 |
Enjoy, Enjoy | p. 95 |
"Keep Far Away from Falsehood" | p. 97 |
"What Good Thing Happened to Me This Week?" | p. 98 |
Shabbat | p. 99 |
When, If Ever, Is It Permitted to Lie? (1): When Life Is at Stake | p. 100 |
When, If Ever, is It Permitted to Lie? (2): Judaism and White Lies | p. 102 |
When, If Ever, Is It Permitted to Lie? (3): Lies Told for Reasons of Humility, Privacy, and Not to Harm Another | p. 104 |
Declaring a "Complaining Fast" | p. 106 |
The Most Unusual of Blessings | p. 107 |
Treating People Who Are Retarded with Respect | p. 109 |
Shabbat | p. 110 |
Don't Charge Interest | p. 111 |
Help Someone Laugh | p. 113 |
For Whom Was I Named? | p. 114 |
A Lifesaving Bribe | p. 115 |
The Little Indecencies That Reveal Character | p. 116 |
"The Most Beautiful Etrog I Have Ever Seen" | p. 118 |
Shabbat | p. 120 |
"Do Not Stand by While Your Neighbor's Blood Is Shed": The Requirement to Intervene | p. 120 |
When You Suspect Child Abuse | p. 122 |
Untamed Anger and the Death Of Love | p. 124 |
Be Fair to Your Enemy | p. 126 |
Don't Make People Tell You Lies | p. 127 |
"He Who Saves a Single Life It Is as If He Saved an Entire World" | p. 128 |
Shabbat | p. 130 |
Spend a Week Following Your Heart | p. 130 |
Don't Make Unrealistic Demands of People | p. 131 |
A Jewish View of Hunting | p. 133 |
Feed Your Animals Before Yourself | p. 135 |
Don't Spread Negative, but Irrelevant, Information About Someone You Dislike | p. 136 |
Don't Humiliate an Enemy | p. 137 |
Shabbat | p. 138 |
Pray for Someone Else Today | p. 139 |
Raising Your Child to Be a Mensch | p. 140 |
The Questions All Parents Should Ask Themselves | p. 142 |
"Just as Theft of Money Is Theft, So Is Theft of Time" | p. 143 |
What It Means to Sanctify God's Name | p. 145 |
The Special Obligation of Religous Jews to Sanctify God's Name | p. 147 |
Shabbat | p. 148 |
When Is the Best Time to Repent? | p. 149 |
Acknowledge Your Sin and Accept Responsibility | p. 151 |
Ask for Forgiveness Even When You're Not Fully in the Wrong | p. 152 |
Tipping Even Those Whose Faces You Don't See | p. 153 |
What If You Could Read Your Obituary Today? | p. 154 |
The Infinite Ways of Doing Good | p. 155 |
Shabbat | p. 157 |
"You Shall Not Place a Stumbling Block" | p. 157 |
The Nameless Person Behind the Counter | p. 160 |
Acts of Kindness (1): Looking Backward | p. 163 |
Acts of Kindness (2): Looking Ahead | p. 164 |
Acts of Kindness (3): Looking Ahead | p. 166 |
The Least Time to Spare, the Most Time to Give | p. 168 |
Shabbat | p. 169 |
God's Four Questions | p. 170 |
Do You Scream When You Should? | p. 172 |
Paying a Laborer's Wages Promptly | p. 173 |
What a Worker Owes His Employer | p. 174 |
What We Owe Our Siblings | p. 177 |
Anger: Three Thoughts Before You Explode | p. 178 |
Shabbat | p. 179 |
What Does It Mean to Honor and Revere Your Parents? | p. 180 |
What You Don't Owe Your Parents | p. 182 |
Escort Your Guests | p. 184 |
Two Pieces of Paper | p. 185 |
Read and Listen to Points of View with Which You Disagree | p. 186 |
It's Not Only What You Do for Your Parents That Counts--It's Your Attitude | p. 188 |
Shabbat | p. 189 |
"Educate a Child According to His Way" | p. 190 |
Don't Threaten Your Children with Physical Punishment | p. 192 |
Enter a Mourner's Home with Silence | p. 193 |
"Don't Take My Grief from Me" | p. 195 |
"You Shall Not Carry God's Name in Vain": An Unforgivable Sin | p. 197 |
When It's Good to Be a Fool | p. 199 |
Shabbat | p. 200 |
Helping Non-Jews | p. 201 |
Schedule Kindness into Your Day | p. 203 |
Don't Be a Pious Fool | p. 204 |
Don't Serve Liquor with an Overly Generous Hand | p. 206 |
True Hospitality: Did You Ask Your Wife? | p. 207 |
Don't Embarrass Your Guest, Don't Embarrass Your Children | p. 208 |
Shabbat | p. 209 |
When You Suspect Spousal Abuse | p. 210 |
An Abused Spouse: How You Can Help | p. 213 |
Maimonides' Advice: How to Change Negative Behavior | p. 215 |
The Unending Obligation to Be Kind | p. 217 |
"What's Hateful Unto You..." | p. 218 |
Not Everything That Is Thought Should Be Said | p. 219 |
Shabbat | p. 220 |
A Day of Kind Deeds | p. 221 |
An Expensive Technique for Overcoming Anger | p. 222 |
When You're Angry at Your Spouse: Putting Things into Perspective | p. 224 |
Treating Your Employees with Respect | p. 225 |
Abraham, the Model of Hospitality | p. 226 |
There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch | p. 228 |
Shabbat | p. 229 |
How Fear of God Can Make You a Better Person (1) | p. 230 |
How Fear of God Can Make You a Better Person (2) | p. 231 |
Express Gratitude to Your Parents | p. 233 |
When Your Mate and Your Parents Are in Conflict | p. 234 |
"From a Child Is Beautiful, Anything" | p. 236 |
"This Is the Most Delicious Muffin I Have Ever Tasted" | p. 237 |
Shabbat | p. 239 |
When You Hear That Someone's Taking a Long Trip, Make Sure They Take Along Some Extra Money | p. 240 |
Steady Giving | p. 241 |
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: What the Torah Says | p. 243 |
Can Veal Be Kosher? | p. 244 |
Should a Jew Wear Fur? | p. 246 |
When Giving Enough Is Not Enough | p. 248 |
Shabbat | p. 249 |
What Does the Sick Person Need? | p. 250 |
Should a Doctor or a Close Family Member Tell the Truth to a Person Who Is Dying? | p. 252 |
Is Your Work Sacred? | p. 255 |
Is Abortion Murder? Should a Woman's Right to Abortion Be Absolute? | p. 257 |
Should a Woman Have the Right to Do What She Wants with Her Body? | p. 260 |
Rabbi Aryeh Levine and the Mitzvah to Visit the Sick | p. 261 |
Shabbat | p. 263 |
Help Someone to Find a Spouse, Help Someone to Find Work | p. 264 |
Do Good...Now | p. 265 |
Teach Your Child Torah | p. 266 |
Teach Your Child the Value of Human Life | p. 268 |
A Pragmatic Reason for Forgiving Others | p. 270 |
Charity Is Not Enough | p. 271 |
Shabbat | p. 272 |
Find Work for the Developmentally Disabled | p. 273 |
An Employer Must Know How His Employees Live | p. 274 |
Confession and Your Neighbor's Soul | p. 275 |
How Can One Repent Who Has Committed the Ultimate and Unforgivable Sin? | p. 277 |
When a Jew Acts Dishonestly Toward a Non-Jew | p. 278 |
One Boss in a Million | p. 280 |
Shabbat | p. 281 |
Have You Written an Ethical Will? | p. 282 |
Three Traits That Reveal Your Character | p. 285 |
"Until the Day of One's Death" | p. 286 |
When the Old Become Frail | p. 288 |
Beyond the Letter of the Law | p. 289 |
Consult with Your Spouse, Consult with Your Friends | p. 291 |
Shabbat | p. 292 |
"The Dust of Forbidden Speech" | p. 293 |
A Twenty-Four-Hour Experiment | p. 294 |
Don't Bear a Grudge | p. 295 |
Picking Up Sumbling Blocks | p. 297 |
The Limits of Self-Sacrifice | p. 298 |
"Go and Gather the Feathers" | p. 299 |
Shabbat | p. 300 |
Make Sure You Have a Friend Who Can Criticize You | p. 301 |
Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs, and the Need for a New Kind of Hero | p. 302 |
Start Your Day with Gratitude | p. 303 |
If You Have a Tendency to Complain About Others | p. 305 |
Respect Your Family's Privacy | p. 306 |
"What Does a Good Guest Say?" | p. 307 |
Shabbat | p. 308 |
Question to Ask Yourself Before You Criticize Another | p. 309 |
Knowing When to Step Aside | p. 311 |
When You've Judged Another Unfairly | p. 313 |
"Therefore Was Man Created Singly" | p. 315 |
"If Someone Wishes to Kill You, Get Up Early and Kill Him First" | p. 317 |
Be Conscious of the Goodness and Sweetness in Others | p. 318 |
Shabbat | p. 320 |
The Good That You Do Lives On | p. 321 |
When It's Right to Be Early | p. 322 |
"His Mercy Is Upon All His Works" | p. 323 |
Be Kind to Your Enemy's Animal | p. 325 |
"Seek Peace and Pursue It" | p. 327 |
On Loving Yourself | p. 328 |
Shabbat | p. 329 |
"There Is No Messenger in a Case of Sin" | p. 329 |
The Power of Goodness | p. 331 |
Teach Your Child a Profession | p. 333 |
Teach Your Child That What Matters Most to God Is Goodness | p. 334 |
Don't Give Away Too Much | p. 336 |
Can a Religious Person Be Cruel? | p. 338 |
Shabbat | p. 339 |
The Antidote to Arrogance | p. 340 |
Don't Pretend to Virtues You Don't Have | p. 341 |
"Love Your Neighbor": What Is the Neighbor's Responsibility? | p. 343 |
"Honor Your Father and Mother": The Surprising Wording of the Biblical Commandment | p. 345 |
If Parents Become Senile | p. 346 |
How to Learn Empathy | p. 347 |
Shabbat | p. 349 |
Don't Snap at Your Spouse | p. 349 |
Are You in an Abusive Relationship? | p. 351 |
Don't Be an Elitist | p. 352 |
Don't Encourage Your Children to Date Wealthy People | p. 354 |
The Painful, Challenging, Question Parents Must Ask Children | p. 355 |
Marriage Is Also Supposed to Be Fun | p. 356 |
Shabbat | p. 357 |
Rabbenu Gershom and the Prohibition Against Being a Snoop | p. 358 |
Be Generous with Power | p. 359 |
When Silence Is Golden | p. 361 |
Learn Even from Those with Whom You Disagree | p. 362 |
Revenge and the Command to Love Your Neighbor | p. 363 |
Who Is a Hero? A Jewish Perspective | p. 365 |
Shabbat | p. 366 |
Accidents Do Happen | p. 367 |
When an Accident Is No Accident | p. 368 |
Don't Be a Mitzvah Hero at Someone Else's Expense | p. 369 |
Speak Truth to Power | p. 370 |
Just How Much Are You Supposed to Fear God? | p. 372 |
Don't Mouth Pious Platitudes | p. 373 |
Shabbat | p. 374 |
Do a Favor...for Your Enemy | p. 375 |
Maimonides, Art Buchwald, and the Importance of Every Deed | p. 376 |
When You Have Been Sinned Against: Your Obligation | p. 378 |
A Nightly Prayer Before Going to Sleep | p. 380 |
Don't Let Your Child Humiliate Another Child | p. 382 |
What the Fifth Commandment Demands of Parents | p. 383 |
Shabbat | p. 384 |
Make Your Celebration a Cause for Everyone to Celebrate | p. 385 |
On Not Embarrassing the Recipient | p. 386 |
Is There Someone You're Ignoring Whom You Should Ask for Forgiveness? | p. 388 |
Don't Forgive on Other People's Behalf | p. 389 |
The Punishment of One Who Humiliates Another | p. 391 |
When You Can't Give Money | p. 393 |
Shabbat | p. 394 |
How to Avoid Giving in to Temptation | p. 394 |
When You're Tempted to Do Something Wrong | p. 395 |
When There Is No Shalom Bayit in Your Bayit | p. 397 |
When Jewish Law Permits a Person to Be Publicly Shamed | p. 398 |
The Limits of God's Forgiveness | p. 400 |
It's Not Enough to Be Nice, Timing Also Matters | p. 401 |
Shabbat | p. 402 |
Help Non-Jews as Well as Jews | p. 402 |
The Final Words a Jew Should Speak | p. 403 |
Should a Jew Donate His Organs? | p. 405 |
Listen ... Really Listen | p. 407 |
How Not to Teach Torah | p. 408 |
Charity, Idolatry, and Deafness | p. 409 |
Shabbat | p. 410 |
Sanctifying the Secular | p. 411 |
Don't Be a Racist | p. 412 |
Never Practice Ingratitude | p. 413 |
Raising Truthful Children | p. 414 |
Empathy Is Not Natural | p. 416 |
Express Your Gratitude to the People Nearest to You...Now | p. 418 |
Shabbat | p. 419 |
Learning to Say "I Need" | p. 420 |
When Anonymous Giving Is Important, and When It Is Not | p. 421 |
When Silence Is Criminal | p. 422 |
If You Learn That Someone Is Intending to Hurt Another | p. 423 |
"You Are Not as Good as You Think You Are, and the World Is Not as Bad as You Think It is" | p. 424 |
When Pious Words Are Irreligious | p. 426 |
Shabbat | p. 427 |
When a Half-Truth Becomes a Whole Lie | p. 427 |
Is Your Blood Redder? | p. 429 |
Should There Be a Limit to Parental Love? | p. 430 |
Teach Your Child Survival Skills | p. 431 |
The Most Perfect Act of Kindness | p. 432 |
A Ritual Way to Make Each of Your Children Feel Special | p. 433 |
Shabbat | p. 434 |
A Time for Silence | p. 435 |
When Praising Someone Is the Wrong Thing to Do | p. 436 |
You and Your Ex | p. 437 |
Solomon's Sword: How to Determine a Child's Best Interests | p. 438 |
The Special Obligation of Adoptive Parents | p. 440 |
Don't Speak Lashon Hara About Yourself | p. 441 |
Shabbat | p. 442 |
Learning to Keep Your Envy in Check | p. 443 |
Don't Get Used to Other People's Suffering | p. 445 |
What's Wrong with Your Life? What's Right? | p. 446 |
Shiva, the Final Act of Gratitude | p. 447 |
Repentance Is Good--Overrepentance Is Not | p. 448 |
Don't Stereotype Groups | p. 450 |
Shabbat | p. 451 |
Raising Your Children to Love Both Themselves and Others | p. 452 |
Watch Your ... Compliments | p. 453 |
When Legal Doesn't Equal Moral | p. 454 |
Using Your Evil Urge to Do Good | p. 455 |
Let Your Word, Not Your Oath, Be Your Bond | p. 457 |
Never Insult Another | p. 458 |
Shabbat | p. 460 |
When Is It Permitted to Pass On Negative Information About Another? | p. 461 |
Passing On Negative Information When a Couple Are Dating: The Four Guidelines of the Chaffetz Chayyin | p. 462 |
Telling Your Children "I'm Sorry" | p. 464 |
Make Time for Your Children | p. 466 |
"You Must Not Remain Indifferent" | p. 467 |
When You Learn Torah, Use It | p. 468 |
Shabbat | p. 470 |
One Who Calls Another Person by a Cruel Nickname | p. 471 |
When Anonymous Giving Is Not Good | p. 472 |
Do You Owe Your Children an Inheritance? | p. 474 |
"One Who Is Bashful Will Never Learn" | p. 476 |
Study Judaism Fifteen Minutes a Day...Starting Now | p. 478 |
Random Acts of Kindness | p. 479 |
Shabbat | p. 480 |
A Particularly Evil Form of Stealing | p. 481 |
A Husband's Obligations to His Wife | p. 482 |
Don't Insult Your Spouse | p. 483 |
Jews Shouldn't Be Cheap; Jewish Funerals Should Be | p. 484 |
A Law That Needs to Be Changed | p. 486 |
The Holiness of Laughter | p. 489 |
Shabbat | p. 490 |
Unfair Competition | p. 491 |
Would Jewish Ethics Permit a Jew to Own a Gun Store? | p. 492 |
Wronging with Words | p. 493 |
The Telephone as an Instrument for Good | p. 495 |
Torah Study and the Importance of Review | p. 497 |
A Week of Kindness, a Week of Gemilut Chesed | p. 498 |
Shabbat | p. 500 |
Your First Check for the New Year | p. 500 |
Topical Index | p. 502 |
Glossary of Hebrew Texts Cited | p. 504 |
Bibliography | p. 506 |
Index | p. 513 |
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