“To test the worth of a man’s religion, do business with him.”
— John Lancaster Spalding

In addition to being a bishop and a poet, John Lancaster Spalding co-founded The Catholic University of America. He would have been pleased to learn that his teaching had a kindred spirit in the rabbis of the Talmud. The Talmud teaches that at the end of our lives, when we ascend to the gates of heaven, God will ask us a series of questions about how we acted on earth. The very first question is “Did you conduct your business dealings with integrity?” (Shabbat 31a).

It’s noteworthy that God’s very first question to us would be about ethics in business. It suggests that at the core of Judaism is how we treat one another—a most appropriate message as we enter the holy moments of Shabbat.

I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.

— Rabbi David Woznica