ETHICS
  • MONEY MATTERS
  • SPEECH & SILENCE
  • RISK-TAKING​
  • THE LEGACY OF THE HOUSE OF HILLEL 

ETHICAL FITNESS:
GRAPPLING EVERY DAY
In ethics it’s usually the big issues—capital punishment, lifeboats, euthanasia—that get all the attention. However, being a good person in the real world of jury duty, time-share offers, and internet bargains poses more frequent challenges to our consciences and our society. Being an ethical person is not about having ready-made decisions; rather it is a byproduct of a process that requires training and practice. Strive for “ethical fitness” through a “workout” with “personal trainer” Rachel Brodie.  Lively conversation and text study guaranteed to make you a better person (or at least an even more thoughtful one)!  
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Money Matters:
​Ethics of Spending & Saving

  • Mind Games: On Being an Ethical Consumer (Examining our Actions from Sampling at Salad Bars to Window Shopping)​
  • Taking a Stand: On Symbolic Gestures Reflecting Personal Politics (Examining our actions from advocating the removal of Confederate statues to boycotting German cars)
  • In Your Business: When Legal and Ethical are not the Same
  • Taxes and Tradeoffs: On Being an Ethical Citizen (Even if You Never Want to Run for Public Office) 
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Sticks and Stones:
​Ethics of Speech & Silence

  • Truth be Told (Mostly) 
  • Give and Get: Gossip and Criticism​​​​​​
  • What is There to Say? Silence and Gesture​​


​Other Topics: 

  • Risky Business: On Judging the Risks People (Including Ourselves) Take (Examining our actions from riding without a helmet to climbing a ladder to rescue a kitten)
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If Not Now, When?  
​The Legacy of the House of Hillel 

Using Joseph Telushkin's new biography of the great Jewish sage Hillel as the catalyst for text study and discussion, this class—a single session or a series—offers insight into the iconic religious leader whose approach to ethics and law had a profound influence on the evolution of Judaism and Christianity over the last 2000 years.