In a sermon Alistair Begg commented on how Jewish men historically seemed to have a real skill in entrepreneurial skills. Why? I can’t remember where he went with the idea but I am sure that part of it was that they were God’s chosen people. That does not just mean that God gave them a cheat sheet or a pass. It meant that He required certain things of them.
On the positive side being chosen meant that Jewish standards required certain things such as honesty and fair weights. Read through the book of Proverbs. You will find honest business practices a repeated theme. I would suggest that one reason they have been successful in business is that they have a culture that demands they take the high road.
Another factor is that they are a people of the Law. That has become an excuse at times as the law was manipulated and gimmicked to miss its real principles. For instance the situation examined in Mark 7:6ff where we have children declaring the money that was set aside to support their parents “Corban.” It had been given to the temple and thus they claimed relief of the responsibility of caring for their parents. On the positive side this meant that the Jews made legal agreements and kept them. They may have been more clever in the writing than the customer but they kept the letter of the law in contracts.
So whether you like it or not, Jews have been strong in business because they are honest and because they abide by their agreements. People trust them in the ways in which it is necessary to trust someone starting or building a business.
Are you a Jew hater? That doesn’t change the facts.
homo unius libri
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