Most people think of the Torah and Chassidus as a way to connect with G-d, to learn how to be a better person, to seek justice, and to be a good Jew. However, not as a way to succeed in business. Sure, in the Torah it is written בֶּן בַּג בַּג אוֹמֵר, הֲפֹךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ “search in it and search in it, because everything is in it”, but come on—business is what Warren Buffet is for, right?
But maybe we are misunderstanding both the Torah and business.
According to Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu and Daniel Friedmann, authors of “An MBA from Heaven,” the Torah is in fact also about business, because Creation itself is a business venture. As Yeshayahu and Friedmann write in the book’s introduction, referring to the tradition, that after we die we will first be asked about the honesty of our business dealings, “Why will the first question about our whole journey here on earth be about business? Because the Creation is a business enterprise between us and G-d.”
Rabbi Yeshayahu is a Chabad Shliach and head of The Kollel in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, from where he energetically serves the Jewish communities of the city. Friedmann is Chairman of Carbon Engineering, a pioneer in carbon removal technologies, and for 20 years was the CEO of MDA, the world’s largest commercial satellite manufacturer and Canada’s largest aerospace company.
Yeshayahu and Friedmann argue that Creation can be understood as a venture based on a business plan (the Torah) where G-d remains behind the scenes (through tzimtzum, or the concealment of the divine presence) instead of taking an “in-your-face, controlling style.” G-d’s purpose, however, is to “have an abode in the lower worlds” and it is our job to implement the boss’s business plan here on earth and make it into a place that reflects His vision. What is that vision? “It is to complete and repair the world.” As they write, “while the world is innately good, G-d created it incomplete and made humanity partners in completing and perfecting it.”
Given that we are G-d’s investment, and being that we are also invited to be investors in His image, maybe the Torah does have something to teach us about business. Yeshayahu and Friedmann sum up the strategy given by G-d for implementing His vision, each one linked to a commandment or verse from the Torah: (1) Work six days, rest one; (2) Invest in proportion to the reward; (3) Dig deep to innovate and find new ways; (4) Make sure your intellect rules over your emotions; (5) View setbacks as tests; and (6) Behave ethically.
What Yeshayahu and Friedmann find in the Torah goes considerably beyond those six principles. The stories of the Chumash, or Five Books of Moses, are also permeated by wisdom for our business ventures here on earth, and the bulk of the book is dedicated to showing this. To give a couple of examples, according to Yeshayahu and Friedmann, the story of Jacob in Parshat Vayishlach teaches us how to make friends. When Jacob first arrives in Haran he converses with strangers at a well. Calling them “my brothers”, he asks them where they are from, whether they know Laban the son of Nahor, and if things are well with him. After that, he removes the stone from the well so their animals can drink. As Yeshayahu and Friedmann point out, this is a paradigm for how to form connections with new people: speak to them with warmth, find common ground, and help them with their concerns.
A subtler and more ingenious lesson comes from Yeshayahu and Friedmann’s discussion of Abraham’s famous argument with G-d in Parshat Vayeira. When G-d tells Abraham that He intends to destroy the city of Sodom, cursed for its cruelty to the poor (Ezekiel 16:49), Abraham enters into a lengthy argument with G-d over the justice of his harsh decree. During the back and forth Abraham gets G-d to agree that if 50 righteous people are found in it, or if not 40, or if not 30, or if not 20, or if not even 10, He will not destroy it. As we know, G-d agrees to each of these numbers in turn but Abraham does not find them. Why does G-d go through this lengthy charade in the first place when he surely knows the outcome? As they write, ”G-d realized that Abraham needed to go through this process of questioning….G-d supported him, listened, replied, and validated his process and his concerns.” As they sum up, “Leaders know how to listen.”
The above examples are a small taste of the dozens of lessons for both employees and employers that Yeshayahu and Friedmann find in the Chumash (five books of Moses). They range over an incredible richness of topics from “Selling Effectively” to “Valuing Transparency in Business” to “Handling Workplace Gossip.” For each lesson, Friedmann supplies a real-life example of its implementation from his years of experience as an entrepreneur and business leader.
If there is anything the Jewish people have proven in the long rollercoaster ride of our sojourn with G-d, it is that the Torah we have walked with these last millennia yields a seeming endlessness of riches. In “An MBA from Heaven,” Yeshayahu and Friedmann find yet another looking glass to view the Torah through, and it is one that produces a glimmering abundance of practical insights.
The book is available in print, kindle, and audiobook formats. The book can be purchased at the Shluchim conference for a discounted Shluchim rate, at all Judaica and bookstores in Crown Heights, as well as online on Amazon.com.
About the Book
An MBA from Heaven brings together business and spirituality in a cohesive and engaging narrative to answer the big questions that preoccupy employers and employees. Biblical stories are interwoven with real business stories to illustrate a huge range of topics. No religious or business knowledge is required, and many of the lessons apply to other life situations.
The book’s overarching goal is to help everyone in a company grow, advance, and contribute to the firm’s success while also developing into better people and achieving their full potential. You will learn how to:
· Advance your career
· Lead for lasting results
· Gain trust and support
· Approach negotiations
· Build relationships with colleagues
· Balance vision and implementation
· Make time
· Make decisions
· Build teams
· And 40 other topics
The chapters follow a consistent format and can be read in any order and. A biblical passage is introduced and explained. A key lesson for a modern business problem is extracted from the passage and elucidated. Then a real business example is used to illustrate what has been discussed. Finally, the section is summarized in a few short sentences for future reference.
Whether you’re a leader or manager seeking to better understand how to build and lead a successful business, or an employee needing advice on how to succeed personally, be an entrepreneur, and better contribute to an organization’s success, this book is for you.
Hundreds have books have been sold so far, with a lot of great feedback. Reviews can be found on Amazon US and Amazon Canada.
Some reviews:
“Initially I only intended to read a short snippet of this book when it first arrived in my mailbox during a particularly hectic weekend. I found myself having trouble putting the book down, spellbound by the engaging and motivating style it is written in. More specifically, I found that the writers Rabbi Shmuel Yeshayahu and Daniel Friedmann had done a terrific job in distilling powerful lessons in short and easy to read chapters. The Biblical insights are written pleasantly and woven into contemporary business strategies that resonated deeply with me. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two chapters that I was struck by, “Listening Effectively” & “Turning Acquaintances into Friends”, both of which I found masterfully took incidents from the Bible and highlighted incredibly practical applications that had never occurred to me! There are lots of other similar examples, but I’ll just mention those two for now.
I plan to keep this handy and to re-read to help me retain the messages, and I also would say that this is a perfect gift for congregants/friends/associates. It’s a captivating read, rich in content, yet light in tone & highly motivating.”
RABBI YOSEF SCHTROKS – Rabbi of Chabad of Olympia
“I recently purchased your book An MBA from Heaven, and I am very much enjoying it. I give a weekly class on this topic, so this has proven to be a very helpful asset. Thank you for putting out such fine work!”
RABBI BEREL GUREVITCH – Rabbi of Chabad West Village
