Business Law

Must a Jew obey his country’s laws? The Rabbis recognize a country’s laws as binding on Jews who live in that country (see e.g., Talmud Gitin 10b), provided they are reasonable laws — not “evil” or unjust. The authority of…

How many Jews in Second Temple times were slaves? The slaves that Jews owned in Second Temple times were non-Jews who had been bought (or captured in war) by Jews. However, such slaves had to be converted, which made them…

Could Jews be sold as slaves? Answer: During First Temple times, Jews could be sold as slaves for six-year periods (see Ex.21:2). In some cases they could serve longer (see Ex.21:5-6), but only until the Jubilee year (Lev.25:40). All slaves,…

What is the order of inheritance? The order of inheritance is sons, daughters, and father; and if the first in line doesn’t exist, his/her heirs get his/her portion, in the same order. Thus if there are no children or grandchildren,…

What is the Jewish attitude toward slavery? Slavery was a standard practice throughout the world until relatively modern times. The Torah forbids us to treat a fellow-Jew as a slave, even if he has come down in the world and…

How is an inheritance divided among sons and daughters? When there are sons, the daughters are supported by the estate, but they don’t get shares of it. The law of the first born applies only to males; the first born…

How do we know that loans must be repaid? Interestingly, the very important mitzvah of returning borrowed money is not explicit in the Torah; but it is quite clearly stated elsewhere in the Bible and in the Mishnah. “A wicked…

Can a slave refuse to go free? When the Jubilee year comes, or his owner dies, the slave no longer belongs to anyone (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Avadim 3:7); thus he automatically goes free, even if he doesn’t want to. But…