Yeshiva University To Launch New Graduate Program In Business Ethics And Jewish Law
New online program prepares Torah-observant professionals to bring halachic clarity to the business world.
This fall, Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) will introduce a Master of Hebrew Literature in Business Ethics and Jewish Law. Participants can pursue concentrations in Real Estate, Sales, Finance and Management while applying classical Torah sources to modern commerce, including corporate structures, equity investments, real estate transactions, contracts, the relationship between Jewish and secular corporate law and the halachic questions embedded in everyday professional life. Built for those balancing demanding careers, the format is fully online and synchronous: students around the world can participate in real time, completing the 30-credit degree at their own pace or in less than one year.
The program is founded on two core beliefs: A life of Torah cannot be compartmentalized, and Jews in business deserve a halachic education equal to the weight of their careers. The tradition that guides the beitmidrash, the home and the community must also guide the business world, where questions of ownership, fairness, and responsibility arise in the ordinary course of the working day.
“The world of business raises halachic questions every day, often in areas where the right answer is not obvious,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University. “A Torah-observant professional needs more than good intentions; he or she needs serious knowledge and the ability to apply it with judgment and clarity. This new program was created to provide that foundation—learning that is both deeply rooted in Torah and directly relevant to real decisions.”
The curriculum spans the full arc of Jewish business law. Students complete core courses, concentration electives and a capstone thesis, covering acquisition and ownership, debt finance and ribbis, corporate structure, investments, employee rights, consumer protection, and business mediation.
The program features a faculty of leading Torah scholars with deep roots in both halachic tradition and contemporary professional life: Rabbi Daniel Stein, YU Rosh Yeshiva; Rabbi Daniel Rapp, rebbe in YU’s Stone Beit Midrash Program; Rabbi Kalman Laufer, program director; and Rabbi Josh Fagin, assistant program director and rebbi in YU’s Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies, currently studying in the Yadin Yadinprogram.
“Everyone knows an observant home requires knowledge of kashrus and Shabbos,” said Rav Mordechai Willig, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva University and Av Beis Din of the Beth Din of America. “But an observant career requires knowledge as well. The halachos of the workplace are no less Torah—and no less important.”
At a time when business moves quickly and its questions grow more complex, the RIETS Master of Hebrew Literature in Business Ethics and Jewish Law offers something both timeless and urgently needed for every professional, from entrepreneurs and small business owners to corner office occupants: Torah at the center of the marketplace.
For more information and to apply, visit yu.edu/riets/halacha.
For questions or help applying, contact Assistant Program Director Rabbi Josh Fagin at [email protected].
