36 | SEPTEMBER 10 • 2020 

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B I R M I N G H A M

T

raditional Judaism is a religion 
based on rules. There are 613 
commandments in the Torah, 
which means there are a lot of ways 
Jewish people can make mistakes.
But of all the 613 commandments, we 
are unaware of any Jewish-based phil-
anthropic and investment guidelines. To 
be sure, rabbis and scholars have opined 
on the topic, but, for example, there 
is no Jewish equivalent to the United 
States Conference of Catholic Bishops 
Investment Guidelines. There are also 
Baptist guidelines and leaders of Muslim 
sects have released their own Sharia-
based rules, but there is nothing directly 
on point in Judaism.
Nevertheless, Jews who want to invest, 
make financial plans and give to char-
ities based on Jewish values would not 
be without guidance. Perhaps your rabbi 

won’
t provide any pithy stock picks, but 
Jewish values can provide the founda-
tion upon which financial decisions are 
made. 
Any discussion of Jewish-based finan-
cial decisions begins with the Torah. In 
this case, we would be guided by five 
particular mitzvot: tzedakah, tikkun olam, 
tzedek, g’
milut chasadim and tikya. These 
five foundational mitzvot won’
t tell us 

to buy Facebook versus Apple, 
or to donate to a particular 
charity, but they will provide 
the basis upon which informed 
investors can make their own 
decisions.
So, what are these mitzvot 
and what do they tell us about 
making financial decisions? 
The first is tzedakah, which is 
literally translated to “righteousness.” 
Judaism places an emphasis on the 
importance of charity. Tithing (maaser 
in Hebrew) is referenced throughout the 
Torah, and in most other major world 
religions for that matter. The Torah 
states the obligation to donate 10% of 
one’
s crops to members of the commu-
nity in need. Tzedakah also refers to the 

KYLE T. ZWIREN, REUBEN RASHTY AND JACOB RASHTY
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

A Jewish 
Approach to 
Planning and 
Investing

 
Mark Silberstein, former 
Detroiter and son of the late Rabbi 
Noah M. Gamze, spiritual leader 
of the Isaac Agree Downtown 
Synagogue, has been named 
senior director of Local Media 
Content at KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi, Texas. 

Jews Choose Trump announced 
that Ronna H. Ross of Bloomfield 
Township is the Michigan Director 
of JCT, which supports the 
re-election of President Donald 
Trump and is a nationwide clear-
inghouse of information particularly interesting 
to Jewish Americans.

The Oakland University Board of Trustees 
recently voted to appoint Tonya Allen as 
chair and Robert “Bobby” Schostak as 
vice chair of the board. Allen serves as 
president and chief executive officer of 
the Skillman Foundation, a Detroit-based 
organization dedicated to improving the 
lives of Detroit children by helping to create 
pathways to high school graduation, col-
lege, successful careers and fulfilling lives. 
Schostak is the president and CEO of the 
Templar Baker Group, a multi-disciplined 
consulting firm, and serves as the co-chief 
executive officer of Schostak Brothers & 
Company, a leading commercial real estate 
business in Michigan, where they operate 
properties in 24 states.

Tonya Allen

Robert 
Schostak

Sami Rohr 
Prize for Jewish 
Literature honored 
recipients of its 
2020 award for 
nonfiction in an 
online ceremony. Among the 
recipients is Sarah Hurwitz, 
author of In Here All Along: 
Finding Meaning, Spirituality, 
and a Deeper Connection to 
Life – in Judaism. Writing in 
her own voice, Hurwitz invites 
us to share her journey toward 
fulfillment as she rediscovers 
the beauty and timeless les-
sons of Judaism. 

