The mandate to cultivate, protect, and nurture the environment is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. The rabbis of the Talmud extended a prohibition from destroying fruit-bearing trees while in conflict to encompass a general prohibition against the wasteful consumption or destruction of any natural resource. Jewish tradition emphasizes that human dominion over nature does not provide a license to abuse the environment; rather we are called to “till and tend” God’s Earth (Genesis 2:15) and reminded that if we fail to do so, there will be nobody after us to repair our damage (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13).

Jewish tradition speaks with a compelling moral voice about societal obligations. The Torah obligates a society to sustain everyone’s basic needs: “If, however, there is a needy person among you… you must open your hand and give him sufficient for whatever he needs.” (Deut. 15:7-8) This includes access to medicine, nutrition, water, and healthcare. Jewish law prohibits businesses from charging exorbitant prices for consumer staples, and historically every Jewish community paid for healthcare for those who could not afford it (Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 336:3; Tzitz Eliezer 5, V, Ramat Rahel – Collection of Responsa on Medical Issues #4.)

Ethical business, expressed as good governance and transparency, is of paramount importance in Judaism. The rabbis of the Talmud remarked: “at the moment of Divine judgment in the World to Come, the first question a person will be asked is not ‘did you pray’, nor ‘did you keep kosher’, but ‘did you transact your business dealings ethically?’” (BT Shabbat 31a) According to Jerusalem’s Business Ethics Center, more than 100 of the 613 commandments in the Torah relate to business conduct, far exceeding all the commandments concerning kosher food.

Jewish tradition prizes dignity of the worker, particularly defined by employer obligations. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 states: “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land.” The rabbis of the Talmud added a theological basis for this obligation: “‘For the people of Israel are servants to Me’ – they are servants to Me, and not servants to other servants.” (BT Bava Metzia 10a, quoting Leviticus 25:55).