What are the morality of judaism?

Answer 1

There is a general debate as to whether Morality (as an individual concept) exists within Judaism altogether. The general principle of Judaism is based upon a dual concept of "Love of God" and "Love of thy fellow". These work hand in hand. One cannot love God if he does not love another, and one cannot love another if he does not love God. The Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot), part of the canon of the Mishna (completed in the 3rd century) has many aphorisms which would be akin to what would be called modern day "morality" examples include "Do not look at the container, but rather [look] at what is within it" "Give mind to three things, and you will never come to sin: Know from whence you came, to where you will come, and in front of whom you will need to report; From whence you came, from a stenchful drop; to where you will come, to a place of dust, worms, and flys; in front of whom will you need to report, in front of the Holy One, Blessed Be He" "The one who says "What is mine is mine, and what is yours is also mine" is wicked. He who says "What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours" is acceptable. He who says "What is mine is yours, what is yours is mine" is a fool. And he who says "What is mine is yours and what is yours is also yours" is pious"

Answer 2

Some people today think that "morality" refers mainly to sexual norms, such as whether or not to have premarital sex, whether divorce is permitted, whether Birth Control can be used. But for Jewish prophets and sages, morality was something larger-- and it did not just refer to sex, although there were certainly some laws and customs about the human body. Judaism was seen as a way of life, which meant it affected every aspect of human behavior. Living that way of life was based on the idea of "holiness"-- since The Bible said God was holy, and since humans were made in His image, it was necessary for humans to strive to lead a life that was both holy and ethical. Of course not every Jew succeeded at this, and the Bible is very honest about the failings (or sins) of people like David, Jonah, Miriam, and others. But when a person sinned, he or she was expected to learn from it, humble him or herself, and repent.

As a monotheistic religion, Judaism believes in one God, and traditionally, Jews have believed that all codes of ethics and moral behavior emanate from Him. The best known example of a moral code in Judaism is the Ten Commandments (actually, a bad translation-- the Ten Truths, or Ten True Sayings might be closer). In Judaism, living an ethical (or moral) life is very important, and the Ten Commandments give guidance about this: don't steal, don't murder, show respect for your parents, don't be jealous of what your neighbor has, etc.

There are also teachings about living an ethical life that can be found throughout the Hebrew Bible, such as the prophet Micah, chapter 6 verse 8, which advised that we "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God"-- to be fair to people, to be compassionate to people, and to not think of ourselves as better than everyone just because we were just and kind. Jewish codes of conduct revolved around a strong concept of right and wrong, and while some of the teachings in the Hebrew Bible might seem out-dated to some people in modern times, the basic tenets of ethical conduct (and morality) are timeless.