The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics

The interaction of Judaism and economics encompasses many different dimensions. Much of this interaction can be explored through the way in which Jewish law accommodates and even enhances commercial practice today and in past societies. From this context, The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics explores how Judaism as a religion and Jews as a people relate to the economic sphere of life in modern society as well as in the past. Bringing together an astonishingly strong group of top scholars, the volume approaches the subject from a variety of angles, providing one of the most comprehensive, well-rounded, and authoritative accounts of the intersections of Judaism and economics yet produced. Aaron Levine first offers a brief overview of the nature and development of Jewish law as a legal system, then presents essays from a variety of angles and areas of expertise. The book offers contributions on economic theory in the bible and in the Talmud; on the interaction between Jewish law, ethics, modern society, and public policy; then presents illuminating explorations of Judaism throughout economic history and the ways in which economics has influenced Jewish history. The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics at last offers an extensive and welcome resource by leading scholars and economists on the vast and delightfully complex relationship between economics and Judaism.

Auteur

Aaron Levine is the Samson and Halina Bitensky Professor of Economics at Yeshiva University. A noted authority on Jewish commercial law, he has published widely on the interface between economics and Jewish law, especially as it relates to public policy and modern business practices.

Contenu

Contributors Prologue Acknowledgments Introduction Aaron Levine I. Economic Theory in the Bible 1. The Right to Return: The Biblical Law of Theft Eliakim Katz and Jacob Rosenberg 2 . Eliezer the Matchmaker: Ethical Considerations and Modern Negotiation Theory Aaron Levine 3. Land Concentration, Efficiency, Slavery, and the Jubilee Jacob Rosenberg and Avi Weiss II. Economic Theory in the Talmud 4 . Risk and Incentives in the Iska Contract Jeffrey L. Callen 5. Externalities and Public Goods in the Talmud Ephraim Kleiman 6 . An Extended Talmudic Search Model Yehoshua Liebermann 7. Optimal Precautions and the Law of Fire Damages Jacob Rosenberg 8. Valuation in Jewish Law Keith Sharfman 9. Could What You Don't Know Hurt You? Information Asymmetry in Land Markets in Late Antiquity P.V. (Meylekh) Viswanath and Michael Szenberg III. Jewish Law, Ethics, and the Modern Society 10. Hetter Iska, the Permissible Venture: A Device to Avoid the Prohibition Against Interest-Bearing Loans J. David Bleich 11. Ethical Demands on Creditors in Jewish Tradition Yoel Domb 12. The Jewish Prohibition of Interest: Themes, Scopes, and Contemporary Applications Daniel Z. Feldman 13. Interloping Behavior in the Marketplace in Jewish Law Howard Jachter 14. Principles of Ethical and Communal Investment in Judaism: A Jewish Law Approach Asher Meir 15. The Art of Moral Criticism: Rebuke in the Jewish Tradition and Beyond Moses L. Pava 16. "Know Before Whom You Stand": Trust, the Marketplace, and Judaism Jonas Prager 17. Payment for Organ Donation in Jewish Law Fred Rosner and Edward Reichman 18. The Theory of "Efficient Breach": A Jewish Law Perspective Ronald Warburg IV. Economic Public Policy and Jewish Law 19. Public and Private International Law From the Perspective of Jewish Law Michael J. Broyde 20. Jewish Environmental Ethics Yehuda L. Klein and Jonathan Weiser 21. The Global Recession of 2007?: The Moral Factor and Jewish Law Aaron Levine 22. The Employee Free Choice Act, Unions, and Unionizing in Jewish Law Dani Rapp 23. Rabbinic Responses to Rapid Inflation in Israel, 1973--1985 Daniel Schiffman 24. Jewish Ethics, the State, and Economic Freedom Meir Tamari V. Comparative Law Studies Relating to Economic Issues 25. Economic Substance and the Laws of Interest: A Comparison of Jewish and U.S. Federal Tax Law Adam Chodorow 26. Transfer of Ownership in E-Commerce Transactions from the Perspective of Jewish Law: In Light of Israeli and American Law Ron S. Kleinman and Amal Jabareen 27. The Jewish Guarantor and Secular Law: Stumbling Blocks and Their Removal Roger Lister VI. Judaism and Economic History 28. Babylonian Jews at the Intersection of the Iranian Economy and Sasanian law Yaakov Elman 29. Coins and Money in Jewish Law and Literature: A Basic Introduction and Selective Survey Laurence J. Rabinovich 30. Economics and Law as Reflected in Hebrew Contracts Yosef Rivlin 31. Talmudic Monetary Theory: Currency in Rabbinic Halakhah Lawrence H. Schiffman VII. The Economics of Judaism 32. The Economic Progress of American Jewry: From Eighteenth- Century Merchants to Twenty-First-Century Professionals Barry R. Chiswick 33. How Economics Helped Shape American Judaism Carmel Ullman Chiswick Glossary List of Abbreviations Name Index Subject Index