[Avodah] Even vaAven -- pratical applications

[Micha Berger]

From' R' Sender Haber's blog at <http://www.torahlab.org/outoftheloop/honesty>.
I think these are halakhos that ought to be disussed more than they are,
so I'm including the post as a whole.

What he doesn't emphasisize is that chazal note that *using* two sets of
weights is generivah; the to'eivah is simply *having* them. That fiscal
dishonesty is SO repugnant that even the tools for doing it cause an
"ewww" reflex.

Which then explains some of the rulings he discusses, like not
intentionally missetting your bathroom scale. No one uses them for
business, but the whole topic should be respulsive.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

Out of the Loop
a blog by Rabbi Sender Hsber

Monday, September 03, 2012
Honesty

There are very few things that the Torah calls disgusting. Most of them
have to do with idol worship, illicit relationships and eating snails. But
in Parshas Ki Seitze we are told that owning false weights and measures
is not only a To'eivah -- disgusting, but a To'avas Hashem -- something
that Hashem finds disgusting and abominable.

Back in the days of old fashioned scales, shopkeepers would measure the
produce that they were selling against a one pound weight. The customer
would depend on the storekeeper to use an accurate one pound weight and
there was a certain trust that existed. Dishonest shopkeepers would shave
a little metal off of the weight and the customers would get slightly less
than they thought they were getting. Of course, when the shopkeeper was
buying produce from a wholesaler he wouldn't use a smaller weight. He
would keep a bigger weight so that if he is the one buying, he can be
sure that he is getting his full money's worth (and possibly more).

Gas stations purchase gasoline from wholesalers and measure it at sixty
degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes, when they sell the gas, it is dispensed
in the middle of the day when temperatures reach eighty or ninety
degrees. The volume of the gas goes up but the weight of the gas (and
the energy that it produces) does not. They are charging you an extra
7-10 cents on the gallon because they are not giving you the full weight
and mileage that you are paying for. If this fact is misrepresented by
the gas station, it may be forbidden.

In grocery stores, there are always two types of scales: there are the
scales available to the customers as they shop for tomatoes and then
there are the scales used by the cashiers at checkout. According to
halacha, the scales used by the customers need to be just as accurate
as the scales used at the register.

The same applies in our homes. We may not rig a scale to make us feel
bigger or smaller and we may not adjust our measuring cups so that we
eat less sugar. Reb Shlomo Zalman allows some leeway based on societal
expectations, but ultimately the prohibition to have false weights is
very real and an important and practical part of the Torah.

The Netziv and the Klei Yakar write that the prohibition against
owning and using false weights is not just stealing. It is about living
a lifestyle that goes against the Torah. If we honestly believe that
Hashem will provide for us (or cause us losses) we won't make ourselves
crazy trying to make shtick with larger weights and smaller weights.

The Yerushalmi tells us that when we come up to heaven we will be
asked six questions. The second question is: "Were you faithful
in business?" Rav Pam explains that this doesn't just refer to being
faithful to our customers -- it involves having faith in Hashem. If we
have faith in Hashem when we conduct business, all of our attitudes and
strategies and ways of thinking will be different.

The same applies to all areas of our lives. As Rosh Hashana approaches we
need to make sure that we organize and arrange our lives and schedules
in ways that are conducive to the type of life that we want to lead. It
is hard to quit smoking with a box of cigarettes in your pocket. It is
hard to come to Mincha if you need to have a beer and a cigar at 6:00
every evening.

When Rav Gifter was living in Waterbury, CT there were not many frum
Jews around. When rabbis cme to visit, he would always invite them to
inspect his home. "Open the cabinets, look under the beds", he would say,
"Make sure that my home is conducive to Torah growth".

As we think about our lives and the coming year, we need to be honest
with ourselves and with others. Honest for its own sake is a virtue,
but honesty is so much more important when it is part of allowing our
trust in Hashem to be a part of everything that we do.