GEN406 Within, or even outside of, a marital relationship, it could certainly be contended that the cornerstone of Jewish sexual ethics is the high value placed on consensual pleasure. As such, it should perhaps first be noted that, since the time of the Torah, Judaism has considered consent to be a necessary and immutable precondition of sexual relations. Deuteronomy 22:25-27, Eruvin 100b, Ketubot 51b. … Onah literally translates as “time period,” referring to the duration of time between sexual encounters, and is understood to refer to conjugal rights as a whole. … Onah, this notion that a couple should come together as often as is possible – and that, verily, the husband is the one who owes the wife a regular degree of sexual service -- is often cited as proof that Judaism has a fairly “sex-positive” take of relationships. Feminist theologian Judith Plaskow, for example, writes that “the laws of onah represent a remarkable concern with and accommodation to female sexuality as well as appreciation of sexuality generally.” Judith Plaskow, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1990), p. 180. … Rachel Biale…understands onah as less of a challenge to the principle of consent than as a concession to the curse of Eve [this verse]. Biale writes that, according to the Rabbis’ understanding, “the woman’s punishment is that she is unable to fulfill her desire; she does not have the boldness to initiate sex or ask for it.” Rachel Biale, Women and Jewish Law: The Essential Texts, Their History, and Their Relevance for Today (New York: Schocken, 1995) p 122. She argues that the Rabbis believed that women were by nature simultaneously full of sexual passion and deeply inhibited. As such, she suggests, the concept of onah was created to enable functional marital sexual relationships. (By Barry J. Leff, "Jewish Business Ethics") OXFORD 386-7

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GEN480 The fact that God issues commands to humankind, starting with Adam in the Garden of Eden, suggests that humans are “choosing” creatures with the capacity to curb their impulses. With this “free will,” humans earn their reward and punishment, because the biblical God is considered the embodiment of justice and does not issue unmerited consequences. Deuteronomy exhorts Israel, “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse, Choose life!” (30:19). The prophet Jeremiah can justify the destruction of Judah, because God sent a series of prophets to call the people to repentance but they did not listen (Jeremiah 7:25, 25:4-7, 26:5). A few passages in the Bible suggest that divine prerogative occasionally requires the suspension of human free will… [t]hese cases, however, are lonely exceptions to the importance attributed to choice. (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible) OXFORD 44-5

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GEN510 The initial question that must be asked of any criminal justice system is: What give us the right to punish?” After all, in the early biblical stories, it is God who metes out punishment. God expels Adam and Eve; God curses Cain. One could argue that God acts as a model for the authority in any society; what God can do, so can the controlling powers of a community. But Judaism does not rely on the power model for justice. Rather, justice derives from covenant-the social contract individuals have with God and with each other. … The goal is to control aberrant behavior and provide a society where accountability is based upon reason and moral imperatives, not just emotional reaction. The right to punish derives from the natural right of members of a community to protect their community. (By Laurie L. Levenson, "Judaism and CriminalJustice" OXFORD 473-4

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GEN515 From the first chapter of the Torah, Judaism sets forth the paradigm for a criminal justice system that develops into nuanced laws throughout the Bible, the Talmud, and later Jewish legal literature. Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden when they choose to eat the forbidden fruit; Cain is punished when, acting upon very human emotions of anger and jealousy, he chooses to kill his brother, Abel. All individuals are accountable for their own acts. Moreover, they are accountable not just to the victim or to the victim’s family. They are also accountable to the community and, ultimately, to God. (By Laurie L. Levenson, "Judaism and CriminalJustice" OXFORD 472

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GEN591 Ibn Ezra defines hamas as referring to acts of violent oppression such as robbery and rape. (By Warren Zev Harvey, “Ethical Theories among Medieval Jewish Philosophers”) OXFORD 99 ft. 28

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GEN599 [This verse] holds both humans and animals (kol basar) culpable for the earth’s corruption. (By Aaron S. Gross, "Jewish Animal Ethics") OXFORD 419

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GEN630 Noah celebrated the renewal of all life after the Flood by building a sacred slaughter-site and lifting up to YHWH, the Breath of Life, those animals and fowl that were “pure” for eating, to reconnect the Earth with God. … This practice taught that the relationship between adam and adamah was the expression of relationship with God. So it is not surprising that biblically, and then in rabbinic tradition, elaboration of proper and improper foods, what was and was not kosher to eat, took on immense importance in defining a sacred life. Animals described by their relationship to earth, sea, and air embodied into intimate human relationship those three primal aspects of God’s process of creation. Separating mammalian foods of life (milk) and death (meat) became a marker of sacred limitation of the God Who gave life or decreed death. (By Arthur Waskow, "Jewish Environmental Ethics: Intertwining Adam with Adamah") OXFORD 412-3

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GEN645 The Jewish system of business ethics envisions a world of “fettered capitalism.” The rabbis of the Talmudic era recognized the benefits of capitalism and competition. Yet they were also aware that [this verse] and they put constraints on business aimed at achieving an environment that is just toward all. Business owners have responsibilities beyond themselves and their partners, and beyond their employees. They also have obligations to their customers (e.g., to sell at a fair price). Overcharging is forbidden. Interestingly, customers also have obligations toward vendors: underpaying is also forbidden! Baba Metzia 49b Business owners also have an obligation to society and must repair any harm they cause to public spaces. (By Barry J. Leff, "Jewish Business Ethics") OXFORD 371

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GEN651 While technology has evolved rapidly, human nature, alas, has not. The Torah tells us that after God destroyed the world in the flood, He said to Himself [this verse]. It has long been known that businesspeople in particular can be tempted to evil: hence the Torah contains, among other laws, warning against using false weights and measures. That champion of capitalism, Adam Smith, also recognized the problem: “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” A. Smith, An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1776/1952), p. 55. … The Jewish tradition agrees that business has responsibilities beyond the bottom line. … simply obeying secular law is not good enough. The Talmud … the foundation for modern Judaism, tells us that when a person passes away, the first question the soul is asked is, “Did you conduct your business affairs with integrity?” Shabbat 31a It is not, “Did you observe the rituals? “Did you eat only kosher food?” or “Did you observe the Sabbath?” The most important question is held to be “Did you conduct yourself ethically in your business dealings?” (By Barry J. Leff, "Jewish Business Ethics") OXFORD 368-9

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GEN655 Genesis … includes laws as a partial remedy for human brutality. (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible) OXFORD 44

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