Jewish Morals and Personal Ethics

Jewish philosophers of old argued that the whole point of corporal punishment (lashings or beatings) was to serve as a reminder to the community as a whole of the severe nature of certain acts. This is why, in Jewish law, the death penalty is now more of a principle than a practice. According to the Talmud (the Jewish Book of the Law) capital punishment was effectively abolished some 2,000 years ago. As in all civilised societies, jail sentences, although themselves seen as a last resort, are the norm for those convicted of serious offences

In the Bible (the Old Testament and the Five Books of Moses), the word 'tzedakah', signifying charity, literally means 'righteous behaviour' and is often paired with 'justice'. However, in Jewish tradition and thinking, measurable support for those in need is not simply just giving to 'charity' - itself a term implying generosity beyond that which may be expected - but is actually a requirement

Hunting for sport by Jews is unequivocally forbidden, and has, over the years, been strongly and publicly denounced by many important rabbis in communities throughout the world. The staging of animal fights for sport is also expressly forbidden. The Bible teaches Jews that the hunting of animals is something shameful

Although needing consultation with a competent authority (Rabbinical), Judaism very much supports and encourages organ donation when it saves lives. If an organ is needed for a specific, immediate transplant then it could actually be seen as a great honour for a Jew to donate to save a person's life. However, harvesting for an organ bank is not as acceptable

Abortion is only allowed for genuine, medical-related reasons and has to include a consultation with a rabbi. Strict Orthodox Judaism permits abortion only in cases where continuing the pregnancy would put the mother's life in serious danger

A visit to a house of mourning is not a straightforward social visit. The purpose is to show the mourner that one is concerned about his or her distress. If a close friend or relative, one should visit at least once during the period of mourning, and especially close people should take part in the prayers that are said either in the early morning or afternoon/evening

The law is that the employee can keep the freebie, but those who are strictly observant Orthodox Jews will always offer to share the freebie with their boss. However, if the employee knowingly accepts a freebie that is in essence a bribe rather than a gift (for example, three people offering the asking price on something where one presents a gift), this constitutes thievery

The Hebrew term for forbidden speech about others, “lashon hara” (which means literally, "bad tongue"), refers to saying something that might be true but belittles the person about whom it is being said. So sharing the news that, for example, so-and-so eats like an animal, is promiscuous, or is regarded by their fellow workers as lazy, is not allowed, even if it might be true

A Jewish person is not merely permitted but actually required to disregard any Jewish law that conflicts with life or health as it is considered foolish, if not sinful, to help save a life. Rescuing and preserving a life takes precedence over the Sabbath

Over 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, and the majority of these were Ashkenazi in origin