A Short History of Jewish Ethics: Conduct and Character in the Context of Covenant

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.

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

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.

“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)