"The world that we encounter in ordinary experience is one in which we are faced with choices between ends equally ultimate, and claims equally absolute, the realisation of some of which must inevitably involve the sacrifice of others."--Isaiah Berlin, "Two Concepts of Liberty"




Welcome to

Marsha B. Cohen's
Jewish Ethics
Resource Site



This website is designed and maintained by Marsha B. Cohen, who teaches "Ethics of Jewish Living" for the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in Miami, Florida. Its purpose is to provide Melton students, and anyone else who is interested, with access to online resource materials for learning and reflection. It has no official connection with or endorsement from the
Florence Melton Adult Mini-School website or FMAMS.

General Thoughts on Jewish Ethics
  • Definitions and Concepts (Areyvut.org)

    • from the Sh'ma archive (CLAL)

  • "The Question of Jewish Ethics Today"
    Steven S. Schwarzschild

  • "The Particularism of Jewish Ethics"
    Michael Wyschogrod

  • "The Non-Jew in Jewish Ethics"
    Gerald Blidstein

  • "The Ethics of Preferring One's Own"
    Norbert Samuelson

  • "The Sin Against Persons"
    Arnold Jacob Wolf

  • "The Bystander's Duty to Rescue in Jewish Law"
    • Aaron Kirschenbaum (Journal of Religious Ethics)


  • "The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations" (pdf)
    • Jonathan Sacks (FPRI)


    Medical Ethics and Bio-Ethics

  • "Why Jewish Medical Ethics?"
    • Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
  • Jewish Law Articles: Medicine/Health

  • Articles on Jewish Medical and Bioethical Issues
    Jewish Virtual Library

  • Controversies regarding Brain Death, Transplants and Jewish Law
    Halachic Organ Donation Society (HODS)

  • Organ and Tissue Donation Informational Brochure (pdf file)
    Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, Rabbinical Assembly
  • Chronicle of a Son-to-Father Kidney Donation and Transplant

  • "Selling Organs Should be Legal"
    • Robert Berman (Jerusalem Post)
  • "Human Kidneys: The New Cash Crop"
    • Nancy Scheper-Hughes (New Internationalist)
  • "Abortion in Jewish Law"
    • Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
  • "Physician-Assisted Suicide Under Jewish Law"
    • Steven H. Resnicoff


    Living Wills and Advance Medical Directives


  • "The 'Halachic Health Care Proxy'"
    • Chaim Dovid Zwiebel (Jewish Law)

  • Halachic Living Will Forms
    • (downloadable state-specific versions, plus emergency wallet card)
    Agudat Yisrael of America (Jewish Law)

  • "Jewish Medical Directives for Health Care"
    • (pdf file-includes downloadable checklist form)
    Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, Rabbinical Assembly

  • "The Terri Schiavo Case: Related Ethical_Dilemmas"
    • Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.

  • "The Death of Terri Schiavo: An Epilogue"
    • Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.


  • "Judaism and Cosmetic Surgery"
    • Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.




    Financial and Business Ethics

  • Jewish Law Articles: Economics/Marketplace; Professional Ethics

  • Judaism in the Workplace: Professional Ethics and Halacha", Darche Noam (misc. articles)

  • The Jewish Ethicist
    • Center for Business Ethics

  • Issues in Business Ethics (torah.org)

  • "The Simple Life: The Case Against Ostentation in Jewish Law" by Dr. Hershey H. Friedman (CUNY)


    Giving Tzedaka

  • GuideStar Donor Resources
    How to choose wisely among potential recipients of the time and money you contribute to tzedaka. Searchable database of profiles and financial reports of over 850,000 registered non-profit organizations to which donations may be tax-deductible.

  • Giving Wisely:
    • The Internet Directory of Israeli Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations
    A project of the MA Program in Management of Community and Nonprofit Organizations and Public Policy at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

    Tikkun Olam - Perfecting the World

  • Institute for Global Ethics

  • "Ecology: the Work of Creation"
    • Norman Lamm
  • "Noah and the Ethics of Environmentalism"
    • Eric Beller
  • Haggadah for Tu B'Shevat Seder
    • Cong. Sha'ar Zahav Environmental Action Comm.

  • "Kofi Annan's Astonishing Facts!"
    • Barbara Crossette

  • Ethics Resources on the World Wide Web
    • California State Univ. at Fullerton
  • Why Randy's Cohen's "The Ethicist" column is no longer on this page

  • White House Ethics? 'Mr No' Knows:
    When White House Has Questions About Ethics Rules, Norm Eisen Answers the Call
    • Eli Saslaw




    Marsha B. Cohen
    Instructor, Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
    South Dade, Miami, Florida
    E-mail: marshaco@yahoo.com


    Click here for Marsha B. Cohen's Jewish Personal Training Website