Maimonides, in turn, influences Thomas Aquinas, a dominant figure in Christian ethics and the natural law tradition of moral theology.
[2] Examples of medieval Musar literature include: Halakhic (legal) writings of the Middle Ages are also important texts for Jewish ethics.
Kindness to the needy, benevolence, faith, compassion for the suffering, a peace-loving disposition, and a truly humble and contrite spirit, are the virtues which many Prophets hold up for emulation, although Samuel and Moses were important exceptions, for Samuel urged the massacre of all Amalekites, including women and children, and Moses, concerning the Midianites, said "Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
[5] Rabbi Akiva stated "Whatever you hate to have done to you, do not do to your neighbor; therefore do not hurt him; do not speak ill of him; do not reveal his secrets to others; let his honor and his property be as precious to you as your own".
Ben Azzai, in reference to this, said that a still greater principle was found in the Scriptural verse, "This is the book of the generations of Adam [origin of man].
[8] Rabbi Simlai taught "613 commandments were given to Moses; then David came and reduced them to eleven in Psalm 15; Isaiah (33:15), to six; Micah (6:8), to three: 'To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God'; Isaiah again (56:1), to two: 'Maintain justice, and do what is right'; and Habakkuk (2:4), to one: 'The righteous person lives by his faithfulness'."
Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel taught: "The world rests on three things: justice, truth, and peace".
[13] A revengeful, relentless disposition is unethical; reverence for old age is inculcated; justice shall be done; right weight and just measure are demanded; poverty and riches shall not be regarded by the judge.
[14] We are taught to attempt judging others LeKaf Z'Chut, giving more weight to an assumed side of merit, yet advised what can be translated as Respect but Suspect (ChabDeiHu VeChashDeiHu).
'"[17] Simon the Just taught: "The world rests upon three things: Torah, service to God, and showing loving-kindness (chesed)".
[30] According to Judaism, real-life goes beyond the concept of breathing and having blood flow through our veins, it means existing with a purpose and connecting to God and others.
The weights attached is evidenced via the widely quoted tradition (Talmud Shabbat 31a) that in one's judgement in the next world, the first question asked is: "were you honest in business?"
Business ethics received special emphasis in the teaching of Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin Salanter (19th century), founder of the Musar movement in Eastern Europe.
[32][33] The Jewish idea of righteousness ("tzedakah") gives the owner of property no right to withhold from the poor their share.
According to Maimonides in the Mishneh Torah, the highest level of tzedakah is giving charity that will allow the poor to break out of the poverty cycle and become independent and productive members of society.
Traditional Jews commonly practice "ma'aser kesafim", tithing 10% of their income to support those in need.
[36] Many pages of the Talmud are devoted to encouragement in giving charity,[37] and this topic is the focus of many religious books and rabbinic responsa.
In addition to voluntary individual donations to the poor, the Mishnah required communities to supply each person in need with daily food rations and a place to sleep, funded by collections from the population.
In the Bible, the equivalent words are: dibbah, meaning "talk" in a sinister sense; rakhil, the "merchandise" of gossip with which the talebearer goes about; and ragal, a verb, denoting the "peddling" of slander.
As these words indicate, that which is condemned as lashon hara denotes all the deliberate or malicious accusations or even the exposure of truthful information which has the purpose of injuring one's neighbor, that is, calumny proper, and also the idle but mischievous chatter which is equally forbidden, though it is not slander.
More Orthodox forms of Judaism view the father as the head of the family, while seeing the mother as entitled to honor and respect at the hands of sons and daughters.
Religious observance is an integral part of home life, including the weekly Sabbath and keeping kosher dietary laws.
[57] Married couples need to find other ways of expressing their love for each other during the niddah period, and some say that the time of abstention enhances the relationship.
Modern Jewish war ethics have been developed especially in relation to the Israeli military's doctrine of purity of arms.
[66] The principle of Kiddush Hashem requires Jews to conduct themselves in every way as to prevent the name of God from being dishonored by non-Israelites.
A desire to sanctify the name of God may help to motivate some Jews to treat adherents of other creeds with the utmost fairness and equity.
Enforcing laws regarding the treatment of animals in the certification of food products has been part of the effort of Conservative Judaism's Hekhsher Tzedek commission.
The Talmud teaches the principle of Bal tashkhit, which some take to mean that wasting or destroying anything on earth is wrong.
Many take the view that pollution is an insult to the created world, and it is considered immoral to put commercial concerns before care for God's creation.
[citation needed] Trees and other things of value also come within the scope of rabbinical ethics, as their destruction is prohibited, according to Deut.