[Avodah] Even vaAven -- pratical applications

[Kenneth Miller]

R' Micha Berger quoted Rabbi Sender Haber:

> 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 first paragraph here was very surprising to me, that we must not attempt to deceive even ourselves. But in light of the second paragraph, I think it makes a great deal of sense.

It's hard for me to imagine a case like he suggested, where a person's bathroom scale shows him to weigh less than he really does, because people tend not to be fooled by such things. On the other hand, it's *not* that hard for me to imagine someone's scale being set to show him as *heavier* than the truth, as an incentive to diet better. Yet that too would seem to be wrong according to Rabbi Haber.

And then a VERY common situation came to mind: People who set their wristwatches to be 5 or 10 minutes fast, in the hopes that this will help to keep them prompt for their schedules. It may be effective, but I wonder if the Netziv and Klei Yakar might disapprove.

Akiva Miller
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