Rabbi Dr. Aaron Levine z"l

Just now, I was sitting at my computer working on a Business Ethics shiur for this series, for after Pesach. I looked at some old notes of mine from a previous Business Ethics series, and started researching references from Rabbi Dr. Aaron Levine's book, Case Studies in Jewish Business Ethics.

While looking up the material, I thought about Rabbi Dr. Levine himself; aside from learning from his writing, I was fortunate to sit on an RCA committee on Jewish Business Ethics with him a couple of years ago, and I learned much from the experience. Rabbi Dr. Levine presented a firm vision of the ethical and the realistic, and how to proactively promote ethical conduct in industry. He also took the time to explain his views at length to me, a tyro.

Then, as I was working on this, my Inbox showed a new email, from RIETS Rabbinic Alumni. The Subject line - "Baruch Dayan haEmes - Rabbi Dr. Aaron Levine z"l":

We regret to inform you of the untimely passing of

RABBI DR. AARON LEVINE z"l
Husband of Rebbetzin Sarah Levine.

Chairman of the Department of Economics at Yeshiva College &
Rav of the Young Israel of Avenue J in Flatbush.

There was a short service tonight at JFK airport (cago area B, building 23) before the 11:30pm flight to Israel.

The levaya will be in Israel today, Thursday, April 21st, at Eretz Hachayyim Cemetery in Har Tuv (near Bet Shemesh) at 7:30pm.

Rabbi Aaron Levine was the Samson and Halina Bitensky Professor of Economics and chairman of the Department of Economics at Yeshiva College of Yeshiva University. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Brooklyn College, he was awarded his MA and PhD by New York University. He was ordained in Jewish ritual and civil law at the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School. A noted authority on Jewish commercial law, Rabbi Levine’s research specialty was the interface between economics and halakha, especially as it relates to public policy and modern business practices. He had published widely on these issues, including five books and numerous monographs. His books include "Free Enterprise and Jewish Law" (1980), "Economics and Jewish Law" (1987), "Economic Public Policy and Jewish Law" (1993) "Case Studies in Jewish Business Ethics" (2000) and "Moral Issues of the Marketplace in Jewish Law" (2005). Rabbi Levine was active in the area of conflict resolution, and serves as an ad hoc rabbinical judge and arbitrator in the bet din of the Rabbinical Council of America. Rabbi Levine was an associate editor of the journal Tradition, a member of the advisory council for the International Center for Jewish Business Ethics and a nominee for the World Jewish Academy of Science. He just recently published a book he edited, The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics, after the 2005 publication.

Shiva will commence following the chag.

We've lost a great thinker, teacher and leader. All I can say is Baruch Dayyan haEmes.