Tag: Torah

The Talmudic Formula for Success

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The Talmudic Formula for Success

from aish.com

by Bob Diener

After practicing corporate and securities law for a couple of years at one of the largest law firms in the world, I decided to pursue my entrepreneurial passions and start a travel business. I worked hard and had a passion to succeed. My dream was to have enough annual profits to sell the company and have enough funds from the sale to retire and do whatever I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Buy a nice condo, fancy sports car, travel and more. When we exceeded that annual profit goal, I sold the company and moved back to Florida where I grew up to enjoy life. I thought I reached a level of great success, but six months later I was so bored. I didn’t feel successful. I felt a lot was missing.

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Jewish Business Ethics: An Introductory Perspective

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Jewish Business Ethics: An Introductory Perspective

from jlaw.com by Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz

Many of us have a mistaken idea of what is within the compass or scope of our religious traditions. People know that lighting Chanukah candles is something you talk about with a rabbi, observance of the Shabbat, the laws of Kashrut, etc., but many people have an attitude that if I don’t tell the rabbi how to run his business, the rabbi shouldn’t tell me how to run mine. Very often, we live fragmented dichotomized lives where what we do in the office from 9 to 5 (or if you’re a workaholic from 8 to 7), is our own private affair and then at home we observe the holidays, or the rituals of Judaism, on the weekends, or three-days-a-year, or whatever.

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Hecker Character Development Series: #8 Guard Your Eyes

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Harvey S. Hecker Character Development Series: Our words are a powerful force to build – and destroy.

#8: Guard Your Eyes
Originally published by Rabbi Shraga Simmons on aish.com

In the world of sensory stimulation – sounds, smells and images – eyes are our primary interface with the world. Eyesight accounts for 80% of what we learn and 80% of our memories.

We need to choose our images wisely, as the Torah exhorts: “Don’t stray after your heart and eyes” (Numbers 15:39).1 We see a bright, attractive image and may be tempted – “misled by our eyes” – to choose a fleeting pleasure. In the Garden of Eden, Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge because “she saw it was good.”2

Society places heavy emphasis on the visual. “If it looks good, it must be good.” Everything from advertising to the experience of eating is enhanced by visual elements of color and design. Precisely because the sensory pull is so strong and pervasive, it is a constant challenge to stay the proper course. Especially in today’s saturated media environment, where it’s nearly impossible to steer clear of provocative images, we have endless opportunities to work hard at guarding our eyes – one of the Six Constant Mitzvot.

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