The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life [Hardcover]

Joseph Telushkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

Here is a wealth of astute and warmhearted counsel on many of life’s most difficult ethical dilemmas. Joseph Telushkin outlines his ten commandments of character, explaining why each one is so vital, and then addresses perplexing issues that can and often do crop up in our lives relating to family, friends, work, community, medical ethics, and money, such as:

• How honest should you be when you are asked to give a reference?
• How much assistance should you give your son with his college application essay?
• Is it wrong to receive a kidney from an executed prisoner in China?
• What should you do if your father begs you to end his life rather than allow him to descend into the hell of Alzheimer’s?
• Should a brother give up part of his inheritance if his sister has children and considerable expenses and he doesn’t?
• Should a dying woman reveal to her husband that their son is not really his?

Many of us are finding it increasingly hard to tread the fine line between right and wrong. In The Ten Commandments of Character, Telushkin faces these issues squarely and shows us how to live a life of true integrity.

“At a time when so many people are looking for moral guidance, we are lucky to have Joseph Telushkin as our guide and teacher. I am thoroughly impressed by his wisdom and good sense.”—Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beliefnet.com, a multi-faith virtual community, features articles and columns on spirituality, religion, morality, faith and beliefs. As one of its many contributors, Telushkin writes an ethical advice column in which he responds to letters from people with questions about personal and moral dilemmas. This book gathers together about 80 of these letters, along with Telushkin's thoughtful and sometimes controversial responses. The rabbi and author of Jewish Literacy and The Book of Jewish Values often cites biblical and rabbinical sources for his opinions. Here, the issues he addresses are grouped under nine headings: family, children, "between friends," animals, work, money, medical ethics, everyday dilemmas and community. This broad range of problems will resonate with readers, who will likely recognize many of their own ethical concerns, like the challenges of being completely honest. Telushkin also takes up seemingly mundane issues, such as smoking, being overweight, giving to beggars and responding to telemarketers. Each topic receives a serious and studious answer that points the way to ethical behavior. The collection is preceded by a helpful introductory chapter in which Telushkin sets forth his list of "the 10 prerequisites for doing good together with an explanation of why these values matter so much." In all, Telushkin's book is a useful manual for distinguishing between right and wrong in contemporary society.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Here is a wealth of astute and warmhearted counsel on many of life?s most difficult ethical dilemmas. Joseph Telushkin outlines his ten commandments of character, explaining why each one is so vital, and then addresses perplexing issues that can and often do crop up in our lives relating to family, friends, work, community, medical ethics, and money, such as:

? How honest should you be when you are asked to give a reference?
? How much assistance should you give your son with his college application essay?
? Is it wrong to receive a kidney from an executed prisoner in China?
? What should you do if your father begs you to end his life rather than allow him to descend into the hell of Alzheimer?s?
? Should a brother give up part of his inheritance if his sister has children and considerable expenses and he doesn?t?
? Should a dying woman reveal to her husband that their son is not really his?

Many of us are finding it increasingly hard to tread the fine line between right and wrong. In The Ten Commandments of Character, Telushkin faces these issues squarely and shows us how to live a life of true integrity.

?At a time when so many people are looking for moral guidance, we are lucky to have Joseph Telushkin as our guide and teacher. I am thoroughly impressed by his wisdom and good sense.??Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Harmony/Bell Tower; 1 edition (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400045096
• ISBN-13: 978-1400045099
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #414,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, spiritual leader and scholar, is the acclaimed author of nine other nonfiction books, including The Book of Jewish Values, The Golden Land: The Story of Jewish Immigration to America, and Jewish Literacy, the most widely read book on Judaism of the past two decades. He is a senior associate of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, serves on the board of the Jewish Book Council, and is the rabbi of the Los Angeles-based Synagogue for the Performing Arts. He lives with his family in New York City and lectures regularly throughout the United States.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative and thought-provoking exploration of ethics., November 29, 2003

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life (Hardcover)

Joseph Telushkin, in his latest book, "The Ten Commandments of Character," explores a variety of ethical dilemmas that make life challenging for people who worry about doing "the right thing" whenever possible. Most of the book is written in a question and answer format, and it includes material that was previously published in Telushkin's ethical advice column found on the Web site, Beliefnet.com.

Telushkin begins by outlining what he calls the "ten commandments of character," and he then devotes the eight chapters of his book to ethical questions that relate to family, children, friends, work, money, medical ethics, everyday dilemmas, and community.

It is a pleasure to read Telushkin's clear, straightforward, and always entertaining prose. He tackles a wide variety of questions that vary in importance from "Should I assist my child in writing his or her college essay?" to "Should I promise my father that I will help him commit suicide if he develops Alzheimer's Disease?" Telushkin is never flippant when he discusses grave matters. He is caring, compassionate, and at times, ruthlessly honest. Although I do not agree with all of Telushkin's advice, I find his ideas to be lucid and thoughtful. Telushkin is a rabbi, but this book is not geared specifically to Jewish readers. Many of the writers seeking advice are not Jewish, and Telushkin has the courage to admit that he holds some personal beliefs that are not strictly in line with Orthodox Jewish doctrine.

"The Ten Commandments of Character" is a practical book that ecourages people to examine their actions a bit more critically. Telushkin urges the reader to make ethical decisions based on an honest assessment of the right and wrong of the situation, rather than settling for a convenient rationalization. Admittedly, there are no absolutes in questions of morality and ethics, nor does the author claim omniscience or a special pipeline to God. However, Telushkin performs an important service by making us think about such diverse questions as, "Is stem cell research ethical?" and "Is it ever morally right to declare bankruptcy?" If Telushkin's book makes at least a few readers behave with more honesty, self-control, compassion, and fairness, then he will have accomplished a great deal.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compassionate Ethical Advice, October 3, 2006

By 

Colleen McMahon ""Omnivorous Reader"" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life (Paperback)

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is a noted and scholarly Orthodox Jewish rabbi, but this is a book that will appeal to anyone, Jewish or otherwise (even agnostic or atheist) who wishes to live an ethical life.

The book is built around a collection of Q & A's on moral dilemmas collected from a column Rabbi Telushkin wrote on Beliefnet.com. Many of his correspondents are not Jewish and although he draws on Jewish sources like the Talmud, his answers to questions ranging from "If my neighbor is a terrible person, is it okay to steal his paper on a morning when mine was stolen?" to "Should I agree to my father's request to kill him if he develops Alzheimer's"?

Rabbi Telushkin gives even the most basic questions a lucid and well reasoned answer. The reading and writing level is not difficult and would be completely understandable for a high school level reader. He wrestles openly with difficult questions and when he doesn't know, he says so. If he later changed his mind or added additional reasoning based on reader response, he acknowledges it. NO matter what, he is compassionate and caring to the people who write to him.

A fast but very worthwhile read, I recommend it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A List to Live By, June 2, 2008

By 

Information Junkie (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life (Paperback)

Loved this book. I printed up the list and put it on the wall in my kitchen. I refer to it every day when deciding how to handle challenging situations. This book made me realize, in part, how much work I needed to do on myself and why some persistent traits of my ex-husband bothered me so much. Worth reading.