“To test the worth of a man’s religion, do business with him.” — John Lancaster Spalding In addition to being a bishop and a poet, John Lancaster Spalding co-founded The Catholic University of America. He would have been pleased to learn that his teaching had a kindred spirit in the rabbis of the Talmud. The Talmud teaches that at the end of our lives, when we ascend to the gates of heaven, God will ask us a series of questions about how we acted on earth. The very first question is “Did you conduct your business dealings with integrity?” (Shabbat 31a). It’s noteworthy that God’s very first question to us would be about ethics in business. It suggests that at the core of Judaism is how we treat one another—a most appropriate message as we enter the holy moments of Shabbat. I wish you a Shabbat Shalom. — Rabbi David [...]

Who May Receive Charity? It is understood from the following teaching that a Jew should pursue every avenue to avoid taking charity. Rabbi Akiva said, “Treat your Sabbath like a weekday (not buying special food and drink) rather than be dependent on man (taking charity) (Shabbat 118a; Pes. 112a). Jews should accept any available work, even if they think it beneath their dignity, rather than take communal funds. And yet, refusing to take charity when it is necessary is a sin and a person should not feel embarrassed when they are not able to support themselves otherwise. These guidelines were created for two reasons. To ensure that only those truly in need would accept communal funds. In doing so, Jews would more likely to keep donating. And, for those who do need assistance, it helped to remove stigma or embarrassment. — Rabbi David Woznica

Sensing God’s Presence In a speech to students at Brigham Young University, Rabbi Harold Kushner opined: “I am a traditional Jew. I observe the biblical dietary laws. There are certain foods I don’t eat. I suspect most of you assume I go around all day saying to myself, ‘Boy, would I love to eat pork chops, but that mean old God won’t let me.’ Not so. The fact of the matter is, I go around all day saying, ‘Isn’t it incredible? There are five billion people on this planet, and God cares what I have for lunch. And God cares who I sleep with. And God cares how I earn and spend my money. And God cares what kind of language I use.’” How can we bring a deeper sense of God into our lives? By choosing to imbue our daily actions with mitzvot, both ritual and ethical. Yes, God [...]