Values, Prosperity, and the Talmud: Business Lessons from the Ancient Rabbis (Hardcover)

by Larry Kahaner (Author) "Some religions reject the love of money, contending that it is the root of all evil..." (more)
Key Phrases: undeserved goodwill, ancient rabbis, gun makers, Rabbi Judah, Bava Metzia, Bava Batra (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Talmud, says Kahaner, is a "handbook for today's business world": a reminder of balance in a workaholic culture, a treatise on personal responsibility and a call to charity in a society that seems driven by greed. In this book, Kahaner mines the ancient wisdom of the Talmud for advice on how to prosper – but to do so ethically. He begins with discussions of the "spirituality of money," claiming that wealth can be a positive force if it is used wisely, and then argues that work is a holy act. Other chapters take up various topical issues: treating workers fairly so that they will in turn do their work more productively; being scrupulously honest in business dealings; recognizing that education is a lifelong process; and giving to charity. Kahaner draws on contemporary business examples as well as ancient wisdom to demonstrate that "doing good" and "making good" often go hand in hand. (August. 8) (Publishers Weekly, June 30, 2003)

Help is available from just about everyone. Scan Amazon.com and you can find investment and business guides that purport to tell you how to win big, according to the principles of Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, Napoleon, Julius Caesar and probably Br'er Rabbit. You can also invest according to Jesus Christ and, now, take business lessons from ancient rabbis. Here you get the Talmud's take on employee-employer relationships, partnerships, negotiations and more, all with the aim of turning an ethical profit. (Barron's, October 6, 2003)

Product Description
Praise for VALUES, PROSPERITY, AND THE TALMUD

"The ancient wisdom of the Talmud is as relevant today as it was 1,500 years ago, and its advice about business–both tactical and ethical–is as applicable to our high-tech world as it was to their world of trading mules and buying olives."
––Alan M. Dershowitz
Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law
Harvard Law School

"For too long weve separated business from religion and in so doing weve thrown the baby out with the bath water. Can religion be both relevant and use the accumulated wealth of its wisdom to be of service to business? Yes! There is a gold mine in religion for business. Come savor some of the wonderful nuggets in this book."
––Martin Rutte
Coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work
President, Livelihood

"Gaining perspective is essential to learning. Larry Kahaner provides the reader perspective from an ancient tradition that has a surprisingly modern relevance. This well-written and cogently organized book gives the reader access to the ethical foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition, reminding us that business ethics is not the result of Enron, but a continuing concern about society and the human condition."
––Stuart C. Gilman
President, The Ethics Resource Center

"At a time of ethical crises and global uncertainty we need leaders who blend the best of business, psychology, and spirituality. Learn the lessons of values-based management from the ancient rabbis in this thoughtful, wise guidebook. Good is good, and evil is evil; the principles still apply today."
––Bob Rosen
CEO, Healthy Companies International and bestselling author of Global Literacies

"An interesting and useful prescription for modern behavior––personal and corporate––from a very old and, for many, unfamiliar source. The wisdom and ethical guidance of those early rabbis is as relevant today as it was fifteen centuries ago."
––Mike Birck
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tellabs

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (August 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471444413
• ISBN-13: 978-0471444411
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #137,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #15 in

  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Sacred Writings > Talmud

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless, timeless advice from an unimpeachable source!, September 12, 2003

By	"probin39" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

The Jewish people have survived for over 4,000 years, in large part because they have stuck to a core set of values embodied in the Talmud. These teachings are as relevant today as they were times past, and as Larry Kahaner so ably shows, can be applied to our modern business dealings to great results. If you are seeking a way to enrich your business life and your spiritual life at the same time, this book is for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Business insights for gentiles, November 1, 2003

By A Customer

As a business editor, I've pretty much seen it all when it comes to advice for company managers and leaders. But this book offers something truly different: new ways to apply values that have been in practice, honed and refined, for 1,500 years. And while you'll obviously get the most from this book if you're a practicing Jew, there's a huge bonus here for gentiles like me. The stories and lessons are far more specific than anything we can discern from the vague background hum of Judeo-Christian values in business today. If you want solid spiritual guidance that you can take to work every day, this book is for you. Besides the rabbis, you'll learn a little bit from everybody, from Mark Twain to Deutsche Bank to diamond dealers. So, go for it. You'll like it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Life, Too, November 12, 2003

By A Customer

Kahaner's book helped me realize the kind of employer I aspired to be. Many of the contemporary situations Kahaner writes about show the intelligence of the ancient Rabbis. Kahaner's writing style is straightforward, and this book should be required reading for all business owners. But this book isn't just about being an ethical business person, it is about living an ethical life.