Judaism and the Market Economy

Judaism is too often enlisted in attempts to depict free market economics as exploitative, unjust, or a wrong requiring correction. Many frequently speak of Judaism either as opposed to market forces or seeking a balance between “capitalism” and “socialism.” This class will closely examine an array of mainstream Jewish sources pertaining to economic life, with the aim of understanding how Jewish principles point to a much different picture, one both sympathetic to the development of free market economics and historically significant as a substantial contributor to the development of free markets in the West.