Thus begins The Ethics of our Fathers, the “Jewish Handbook of Ethics.” On the surface, it is difficult to grasp the link between the transmission of Torah and ethics, but in fact, by starting with these words, Rabbi Judah the Prince, compiler of The Ethics, is alluding to the core of Jewish ethics.

Man-made ethics are driven by (personal) experience and current understandings. Often the premise is: just about anything is allowed as long as it doesn’t interfere with another individual’s emotional and material security. "Interfering with another" is obviously very subjective. Today, for example, many contemporary ethicists condone abortion but protest capital punishment for a serial murderer; or they advocate euthanasia but condemn the consumption of meat.¹

Torah ethics, on the other hand, are intended to raise a person above his or her natural limited vision and basic animalistic desires. For example, in the Torah it is not sufficient that we don't harm another, rather we are obligated to assist others, and not because it makes the benefactor feel good, but because that is our G-d given mission. Torah is also absolute in its mandates. The Torah prohibits murder regardless of the person's age or economic class.

At their worst, man-made ethics are simply misconstrued, and at their best they still do not take into consideration the higher mission and goal of the human being. Man-made ethics teaches: “Do it unless it’s destructive.” Torah ethics tells us: “Don’t do it unless it’s constructive.”

“Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua.” And our ethics, too, are part of that Torah.