(Courtesy of PTI) Passaic Torah Institute (PTI) welcomes one of the top authorities on business ethics, Rabbi Ari Marburger, on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28 at 9:45 a.m. Breakfast will be served and the event is free. He will speak on “Innovative Halachic Solutions to an Ever- Changing Financial World.” The event is for men.
Marburger is a dayan and author of the bestselling book, “Business Halacha: A Practical Guide to Modern Business,” as well as numerous articles in Hamodia, Yated and Jewish Observer. He has spoken at countless halachic and legal conferences, from the Orthodox Union and Agudath Israel to Harvard Law School, as well as to general audiences.
He is also the director of the Business Halacha Institute, a comprehensive resource hub for all financial halacha issues, including an halacha hotline. The Institute also publishes a popular weekly business halacha newsletter with intriguing yet accessible case scenarios for a general readership.
Marburger has extensive experience arbitrating and counseling parties involved in financial disputes, and can relate many firsthand stories that both entertain as well as challenge one’s mind with unanticipated ethical dilemmas and how they were solved. Listeners, both professional and laymen alike, are mesmerized by the sheer breadth of his expertise and amazed by the Torah’s relevance to the practical intricacies of modern life.
While many today understand and carefully practice the laws governing chesed, tzedaka and lashon hora, the details and applications have been dimly understood. Torah Judaism, while founded on matters of faith, equally encompasses very complex matters of business. That is profoundly illustrated in those sections of the Shulchan Aruch that carefully scrutinize all manner of business relationships and transactions.
As many people in the Jewish community derive their living from sales, financing and real estate, the relevance of these Torah laws for business dealings is acute. Fairness is the watchword in all considerations, whether it is protecting parties from damages, negligence and failures or structuring clear and binding agreements, whether written or verbal. Dispute is to be assiduously avoided.
“The laws of Choshen Mishpat, behavior appropriate to the marketplace, remain a mystery to the typical layman,” said Marburger. “People tend to view these as relevant only in the context of a Din Torah. However, the Shulchan Aruch sets the rules of behavior that business people should follow to avoid disputes.
“We live in a litigious society,” he continued. “The United States has the highest ratio of attorneys to population of any country in the world,” observed Marburger. “The Jewish community has grown and become involved with increasingly sophisticated transactions.”
Rabbi Marburger’s message is that many disputes could be avoided. It’s essential to stay current on how to apply the Torah’s ancient wisdom to an ever evolving financial landscape. The primary goal is not to resolve disputes in an halachic way but to prevent such disputes from occurring in the first place.
PTI offers free classes seven days and evenings a week for men and women on five levels, from the complete novice with no background to the advanced scholar. PTI is located at 441 Passaic Ave., Passaic. For information, contact [email protected]; (973) 594-4774; or pti.shulcloud.com.
