A Short History of Jewish Ethics

A Short History of Jewish Ethics traces the development of Jewish moral concepts and ethical reflection from its Biblical roots to the present day.

• Offers an engaging and thoughtful account of Jewish ethics
• Brings together and discusses a broad range of historical sources covering two millennia of writings and conversations
• Combines current scholarship with original insights
• Written by a major internationally recognized scholar of Jewish philosophy and ethics

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction 1

1 Ethics in the Axial Age 16

2 Some Aspects of Rabbinic Ethics 52

3 Medieval Philosophical Ethics 88

4 Medieval Rabbinic and Kabbalistic Ethics 124

5 Modern Jewish Ethics 156

Conclusion 199

Index 202

“This is a fine study and relatively accessible for an academic work . . . The book is mostly descriptive rather than evaluative. Dr. Mittleman does seem particularly concerned to show the value of Jewish ethics to those operating from mainstream secular philosophical schools of thought. Recommended.” (Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews, 1 September 2012)

“For those with some background, Mittleman provides a thoughtful tour through a number of seminal moments in Jewish ethical reflection. Summing Up: Recommended. Some advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. (Choice, 1 July 2012)

"[It] admirably recounts the Jewish tradition of ethical inquiry from its biblical beginnings until today. Mittleman is thoroughly at home in the primary sources and secondary literature. He is also an expert on contemporary moral philosophy, which enables him to contextualize Jewish thought within a wider framework of ethical theory ... He covers a vast amount of information in 200 pages, and the reader who perseveres will learn much about the broad sweep of Jewish ethical thinking." Jewish Ideas Daily Alan Mittleman is Professor of Jewish Thought at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. His books include Hope in a Democratic Age (2009) and The Scepter Shall Not Depart from Judah (2000). Mittleman's work seeks to bring Jewish thought into a constructive conversation with ethics, political theory, and philosophy of religion. What exactly do we mean by "Jewish ethics"? A Short History of Jewish Ethics traces the development of Jewish moral concepts and ethical reflection from their origins in the Hebrew Bible through to the present day.

In this engaging and unique introduction, Alan Mittleman explores Jewish moral concepts through Jewish historical sources, beginning with the Bible and then looking at the Hellenistic Jewish synthesis of biblical thought and Greek philosophy. He covers various types of classical rabbinic, medieval philosophical, and popular pietistic literature, then turns to modern Jewish thought, traditional Jewish work on ethics in the modern period, and contemporary Jewish ethics. Mittleman contends that Jewish ethics is centrally concerned to reflect on the relationship between conduct and character, against the theological background of the concept of covenant. From Moses to Maimonides to modern figures such as Emmanuel Levinas, A Short History of Jewish Ethics offers fascinating insights into the evolution of the historical voices and writings that remain woven into the fabric of contemporary Jewish consciousness.

"This work is a thorough treatment of the history of Jewish Ethics. It is learned, beautifully written, and truly philosophical insofar as it deals with the thought of the various thinkers it covers."
—David Novak, University of Toronto

"A fine piece of work, eminently useful and valuable. Mittleman wears lightly his formidable range, his scholarship, and his mastery of the original texts in the Hebrew and German languages. The result is a learning experience that turns what might have been daunting into a delightful and exciting adventure."
—Lenn E. Goodman, Vanderbilt University