Codes of Talmudic LawGeonic era
Rabbi Isaac Alfasi – Halakhot (11th century)
Maimonides – Mishneh Torah
Shulhan Aruch – Rabbi Joseph Caro (1488-1575)
Rabbi Moses Isserles – Mappah (1530-1572)
Kitzur Shulhan Aruch, laws of charityWhy is it necessary to give charity? What are the rewards of giving charity? What are the obligations of every person to give charity? How much should one give in charity? In what manner should one give charity? What is the order of precedence in who gets charity first? How should one deal personally with a poor person? What is the best way to give charity? When is one obligated to take charity, and when should one avoid taking charity? | Mishneh Torah, Book One: Knowledge; Laws relating to moral dispositions and ethical conduct chapters 6 and 7For a more detailed discussion of the different paragraphs of the Mishneh Torah and the Kitzur Shulhan Aruch, see the attached document below entitled "02-18-09 Mishnah Torah and Kitzur Shulhan Aruch). Frequently cited Biblical versesProv. 13:20 – “He who keeps company with the wise becomes wise, but he who consorts with dullards comes to grief.” Ps. 1:1 – “Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent.” Lam. 3:28 – “Let him sit alone and be patient.” Jeremiah 9:1 – “Oh, to be in the desert, at an encampment for wayfarers! Oh, to leave my people, to go away from them – for they are all adulterers, a band of rogues.” Deut. 10:12-13, 19-21 – “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the Lord your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, keeping the Lord’s commandments and laws, which I enjoin upon you today, for your good…. For the Lord your God is God supreme and Lord supreme, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who shows no favor and takes no bribe, but upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing. You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You must revere the Lord your God: only Him shall you worship, to Him shall you cleave, and by His name shall you swear. He is your glory and He is your God, who wrought for you those marvelous, awesome deeds that you saw with your own eyes.” Deut. 6:5 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Leviticus 19:16-18 – “You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people, neither shall you stand idly by the blood of your neighbor. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and you shall suffer no sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the children of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Ex. 22:21-23 – “You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me, and My anger shall blaze forth, and I will put you to the sword.” Questions on particular paragraphs6.1 – What assumption about human nature does Maimonides make in this section? What does he advise that people do, and why?6.2 – How does this paragraph understand the phrase “unto Him you shall cleave” (Deut. 10:19)? Why is it impossible for a human being to “cleave to the Shekhinah”? (The Shekhinah is the divine presence). What should a person do instead? Why is marrying a scholar’s daughter or marrying your son to a scholar’s daughter important? Why is it so important to be in the company of the sages? 6.3 – Who is the “neighbor” in the verse, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18)? What precisely does one have to do to love the neighbor? Is this love a feeling or something else? 6.4 – What are the two affirmative precepts (positive commandments) that one fulfills by loving a convert to Judaism? What relation does the love of the stranger (or the convert) have to the love of God? 6.6 - How does this paragraph interpret the verse, “You shall surely rebuke your neighbor” (Lev. 19:17)? How should you react to someone who wrongs you? Should you speak or keep silent? How should you react if your neighbor asks forgiveness for having harmed you? 6.7 – How does this paragraph interpret Lev. 19:17 in such a way as to extend its meaning from the previous interpretation? What is the correct way to rebuke another person? Why should you rebuke a person who has not harmed you personally? 6:8 – What is wrong about putting a person to shame publicly? What relation does this command have to Lev. 19:17 (“do not suffer sin because of him”)? What actions are included in the category of public shaming? What are the duties to God that can permit public shaming? 6.9 – What is the proper way to behave towards widows and orphans? Why should they be treated so carefully? 7:1 – What does it mean to be a “talebearer” or to “stand idly by the blood of your neighbor”? 7:5 – what does evil speech consist of? 7:7 – How is taking revenge defined and why is it forbidden? 7:8 – How is bearing a grudge defined and why is it forbidden? What are the bad consequences of bearing a grudge? Links to further pages on Jewish ethicsJewish Business EthicsRubashkin and Agriprocessors War and ethics - Gaza War |