About the Author

Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir is Research Director at the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem (www.besr.org). He studied at Harvard, received a PhD in Economics from MIT, and rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. Prior to moving to Israel, he worked at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan administration. Rabbi Dr. Meir is also a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Jerusalem College of Technology and has published several articles on business, economics and Jewish law. He is the author of the two-volume, "Meaning in Mitzvot (Feldheim), and his Aish.com columns form the basis of the "Jewish Ethicist" book (ktav.com).

The Jewish Ethicist: Costly Competition

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I use my cost advantage to drive a competitor out of business?

The Jewish Ethicist: Distant Danger

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it ethical to sell cosmetics that pose a minor health hazard?

The Jewish Ethicist: Why the World Needs a Jewish State

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

The Jewish state in the land of Israel is not only ethically justifiable, but an essential condition for the realization of the ethical vision of the prophets.

The Jewish Ethicist: Riches to Rags

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Should I give charity to a formerly wealthy person?

The Jewish Ethicist: Exorbitant Execs

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it ethical for executives to pay themselves stratospheric salaries?

The Jewish Ethicist: Internet Privacy II: What Information Should Not Be Revealed?

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Some information should never be disclosed, even if the person consents to such exposure.

The Jewish Ethicist: Internet Privacy I: When Is "Consent" Truly Informed?

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

When is it unethical to collect and sell user data from the Internet?

The Jewish Ethicist: Welfare State: Private vs. Community

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

The Jewish approach to alleviating poverty and its applications for today.

The Jewish Ethicist: Reference Redux

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Further insights on the ethical dimensions in giving references.

The Jewish Ethicist: Stealing Customers_

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

What is considered fair competition for customers?

The Jewish Ethicist: Bad Business

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Do I have to give up my job if I think it entails aiding immorality?

The Jewish Ethicist: Sticky Status Seeker

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it ethical to wear wannabe designer items?

The Jewish Ethicist: Just Fine, or Unjust Fine?

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it fair to demand an exaggerated fine for damage?

The Jewish Ethicist: Fraught Freebie

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it okay to take home soap and shampoo from the hotel room?

The Jewish Ethicist: Revealing Reference

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Should I tell an applicant why he was refused for a job?

The Jewish Ethicist: Birthright Bias

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it proper to disinherit a wayward child?

The Jewish Ethicist: Age Discrimination

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Sometimes age does make a difference.

The Jewish Ethicist: Friendly Loans

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

The Jewish way of giving and paying back loans.

The Jewish Ethicist: Widows and Orphans

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

As customers, do widows deserve special treatment ?

The Jewish Ethicist: Adversity in Possession

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

The law says that if I think land is mine, it becomes mine. Is that ethical?

The Jewish Ethicist: Globalization

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

The risks and benefits of a worldwide marketplace.

The Jewish Ethicist: Avoid or Advise?

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Should we tell an incompetent merchant why customers are staying away?

The Jewish Ethicist: Boycotts

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Are boycotts a legitimate means to fight overpricing?

The Jewish Ethicist: Strikes in Vital Services

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it permissible for providers of vital services to go on strike?

The Jewish Ethicist: Disciplining Workers

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I make my employees pay for their carelessness?

The Jewish Ethicist: Growing Apart

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Should I tell my old friend that we just don't have anything in common?

The Jewish Ethicist: Selling Term Papers

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I sell my term papers to an online service?

The Jewish Ethicist: Speculation

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it ethical to make money without producing anything?

The Jewish Ethicist: Office Gossip

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

How to protect yourself from listening to workplace gossip.

The Jewish Ethicist: Rent Controls

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

How much can the bull market bear?

The Jewish Ethicist: Biblical Ethics

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

How can we understand the ethics of the economic relations described in the Torah?

The Jewish Ethicist: Stealing Customers

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I ask someone at my old place of employment to obtain a customer list?

The Jewish Ethicist: Legitimate Larceny

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it okay to cheat in order to settle accounts?

The Jewish Ethicist: Grease or Graft

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I pay off a crooked official to get him to do his job?

The Jewish Ethicist: Pyramid Puzzle, Part Two

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is multi-level marketing ethical business?

The Jewish Ethicist: Pyramid Puzzle, Part One

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is multi-level marketing ethical business?

The Jewish Ethicist: Open Eavesdropping

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I listen in on clients who don't know I understand their language?

The Jewish Ethicist: Name Game

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

The ethics of naming buildings after donors.

The Jewish Ethicist: Some Favor

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Do I have to reimburse someone who tried to do me a favor?

The Jewish Ethicist: Dating for Dollars

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Are dating and matchmaking businesses ethical?

The Jewish Ethicisit: Freebie Frustration

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

If a charity sends me a gift, do I have to give a donation?

The Jewish Ethicist: Paying for Bad Service

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I underpay when I got bad service in a restaurant?

The Jewish Ethicist: Right to Revenge

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is taking revenge ever justified?

The Jewish Ethicist: BCC E-mail Ethics

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

When is it ethical to send a hidden copy of an e-mail?

The Jewish Ethicist: Copycat Fashions

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Is it ethical to sell or buy knock-offs?

The Jewish Ethicist: Charitable Worth

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

How can I make the most effective use of my charity dollar?

The Jewish Ethicist: Sold Salesman

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I hire a salesman away from a competitor?

The Jewish Ethicist: Snow Job

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

How can I get full payment for shoveling a driveway?

The Jewish Ethicist: Surreptitious Speaker Phone

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Do I need the caller's permission to put a call on the speakerphone?

The Jewish Ethicist: Members Only

by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Can I use a friend's card to shop at a "warehouse club"?

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