[Aspaqlaria] Aspaqlaria

[Aspaqlaria]

Aspaqlaria

///////////////////////////////////////////
Qitzur Shulchan Arukh - 62:8

Posted: 06 Aug 2009 07:44 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Aspaqlaria/~3/Lln4Nu-8P_0/qsa-62-8.shtml

ח:כתיב, לא יהיה לך בכיסך אבן ואבן גדולה וקטנה, לא-יהיה לך בביתך איפה ואיפה  
גדולה וקטנה, אבן שלמה וצדק יהיה-לך, איפה שלמה וצדק יהיה-לך וגו. ותבת בכיסך  
וכן תבת בביתך, נראות לכאורה כמיתרות, ודרשו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה, לא-יהיה לך  
בכיסך, ממון. מה טעם, משום אבן ואבן. לא-יהיה לך בביתך, צרכיך. מה טעם, משום  
איפה ואיפה. אבל אבן שלמה וצדק אם יהיו בביתך, יהיה לך ממון. וכן איפה שלמה  
וצדק אם יהיו בביתך, יהיו לך צרכיך. עוד אמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה, מה יעשה  
אדם ויתעשר. ישא ויתן באמונה, ויבקש רחמים ממי שהעשר שלו, שנאמר, לי הכסף ולי  
הזהב  נדה דף ע

It is written (Devarim 25:13-15): You shall not have in your bag weights, a  
large one [for measuring what you buy] and a small one [for measuring what  
you sell], you shall not have in your house measures, a large one and a  
small one, a full and just weight shall you have, a full and just measure  
shall you have.

The word בכיסך [in your bag] and also the word בביתך [in your house] appear  
apparently superfluous. Our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded (Bava Basra  
89a): you shall not have in your bag  money.  Why will this be ? Because of  
[having] one weight and [a different] weight. You will not have in your  
house  your necessities. Why will this be ?  Because of [using] one measure  
and [another] measure. However, [if] a full and just weight will be in your  
house  then you will have money. Similarly, [if] a full and just measure  
will be in your house  you will have your necessities.

On addition our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Niddah 70b): What should a  
person do to become wealthy? He should buy and sell with integrity, and ask  
mercy from the One Who owns all wealth. As it is said (Chaggai, 2:8),  
silver is Mine, and gold is Mine.
As I mentioned yesterday, Rashi quotes Chazal, explaining this verse in  
Devarim as being about merely owning the tools for dishonesty. That had it  
been about actually using them, the verse would be superfluous  theft is  
already prohibited. And thus when the chapter later (25:16) calls it a  
תֽוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְ-הוָ֥-ה אֱ-לֹהֶ֖יךָ כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה  toeivah to Hashem  
your G-d whomever does these things, it is calling upon us to be so  
disgusted with fiscal dishonesty that we couldnt stand be around people who  
just keep the means for it around the house, never mind those who use them,  
or our actually misweighing merchandise!

The words from Chazal are difficult that the Qitzur next quotes. The bigger  
problem is that it raises the question of theodicy (tzadiq vera lo; Why bad  
things happen to good people and visa versa). We all know dishonest people  
who do thrive, and honest merchants who never seem to be able to make ends  
meet.

The smaller problem is that Chazal say on the verse aseir taaseir (you  
shall tithe a tithing) that on tithing alone one may test G-d. Otherwise,  
one does not do so  and so one isnt even permitted to be more scrupulous in  
business for the sake of doing to become wealthy, as it is quoted above  
from tractate Niddah.

Perhaps their point is about wealth defined as Ben Zoma describes it, Who  
is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot. (Avos 4:1) The person who cheats  
in business may actually accumulate more objects, however, one who has one  
maneh [a coin worth 100 zuz] wants 200. Why is he violating G-ds  
commandment? Because he doesnt believe that his portion is given to him by  
Hashem, and designed to best fit the path Hashem is leading him down. He  
doesnt accept his lot in life. It is only the person who buys and sells  
with integrity and turns to Hashem for mercy who will ever be content.



///////////////////////////////////////////
Qitzur Shulchan Arukh - 62:7

Posted: 06 Aug 2009 07:42 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Aspaqlaria/~3/z1UfE9Frqlk/qsa-62-7.shtml

ז: המודד או שוקל חסר לחברו או אפילו לנכרי, עובר בלאו, שנאמר, לא תעשו עול  
במדה במשקל ובמשורה  ועין לקמן סימן קפב סעיף א וסעיף ד. וענש המדות והמשקלות  
קשה מאד, שאי אפשר למודד או לשוקל שקר לשוב בתשובה הגונה, שאינו יודע מה ולמי  
ישיב. ואף שיעשה צרכי רבים, אין זאת תשובה הגונה.  רלא

One who measures or weighs less [than the agreed amount to be sold] to any  
one,  even to a non-Jew,  transgresses a negative commandment, as it is  
said (Leviticus 19:35): Dont do unrighteousness in measurement of weight or  
volume. (See also Ch. 182:1 and 182:4, [below]) The punishment for  
[deficient] measures or weights is very severe, for it is impossible for  
the lying measurer or weigher  to return in proper repentance,  because he  
does not know how much and to whom to return [the money]. Even if he  
performs public works [with this money],this is not considered as full  
repentance.
Cited sections (in case we dont reach siman 182):
קפב:א אסור לגזול או לגנוב אפלו כל-שהוא, בין מישראל בין מגוי. איתא בתנא דבי  
אליהו, מעשה באחד שספר לי, שעשה עולה לגוי במדידת התמרים שמכר לו, ואחר כך קנה  
בכל המעות שמן, ונשבר הכד ונשפך השמן. ואמרתי, ברוך המקום שאין לפניו משוא  
פנים. הכתוב אומר, לא תעשק את רעך ולא תגזל. וגזל הנכרי, גזל

It is prohibited to surreptitiously steal or to rob, even any amount,  
whether from a Jew or a non-Jew. It is brought in the Tana deVei Eliyahu: A  
story involving one person who told me that he committed a trespass against  
a non-Jew when assessing the value of the figs that he sold him. Afterward  
he took all the money and bought oil, but the jug broke and the oil  
spilled. I said, Blessed is the Omnipresent before Whom there is no  
favoritism. The verse says do not defraud your neighbor and do not steal.

And stealing from a non-Jew is stealing.
קפב:ד אסור לעשק את חברו אפלו כל-שהוא, שנאמר, לא תעשק את-רעך. ואיזהו עושק.  
זה שבא ממון חברו לידו ברצון חברו, כגון שיש לו בידו הלואה או שכירות, ואינו  
רוצה לשלם לו, או שדוחהו בלך ושוב, לך ושוב. וכיון דכתיב רעך, אינו אסור בגוי.  
והוא שאין חלול השם בדבר, כגון שלוה מגוי ומת, רשאי לכחש לבנו, שאינו יודע  
בברור שהוא משקר. אבל כשהגוי יודע שהוא משקר, אסור, מפני חלול-השם. ואף במקום  
שאינו יודע, אינו רשאי אלא להפקיע הלואתו או שאר חוב שהוא חיב לו. אבל חפץ  
שהוא בעין, אסור לכפר, שהרי זה הוי גזל ממש. ולא עוד, אלא אפלו קנה ממנו חפץ,  
אסור להטעות אותו בחשבון בנתינת המעות, כמו שנאמר, וחשב עם קונהו, דמירי בגוי,  
שהרי אינו מקנה לו החפץ אלא בעד הסכום שהשתוו. והמטעהו בחשבון המעות, הרי זה  
כגונב את החפץ ולא כמפקיע חובו. ואפלו גנבת דעת שאין בה חסרון מעות, אסור במשא  
ומתן, כמו שכתבתי בסימן סג. ומכל מקום אם הגוי טעה בעצמו, מתר אם לא יהיה  
חלול-השם בדבר, שלא יודע לו. ונכון שיאמר לו הישראל, ראה שעל חשבונך אני סומך

One may not defraud his peer even the smallest amount. As is says do not  
defraud your neighbor.

What is fraud? One person obtains his peers money with his peers consent,  
such as he has a loan or rental payment, but he doesnt want to repay him,  
or pushes him aside with a come-and-go come-and-go (repeatedly making him  
come back to collect but never actually repaying).

Since it says reiekha  your neighbor, it is not prohibited when [the victim  
is] a non-Jew and there is no risk of chilul hasheim (desecrating G-ds  
reputation) in it. Such as where he borrowed from a non-Jew who then dies,  
one is allowed to trick his son, who does not know for certain that he is  
lying. However, where the non-Jew knows that he is lying, it is prohibited,  
because of chilul hasheim.

Even in a sirutaiton where he does not know, it is not permitted except to  
avoid a loan or some other debt that he owes him. However, an object which  
is visible, one may not use trickery, for this is actual theft. Not only  
that, but even if he bought an object from him, he cant trick him in the  
calculations when paying him the money, as it says and he shall reckon with  
him who bought him [the verse in question is originally about a slave].  
Which applies to a non-Jew, because he only gave over the ownership of the  
object for a payment which is equal. Therefore, someone who tricks him in  
the calculation of the money, it is like he stole the object, and not like  
he avoided his debt.

Even geneivas daas (stealing knowledge; i.e. lying or intentionally giving  
a false impression) that does not cause a loss of money, is prohibited in  
commerce as I wrote in chapter 63. In any case, if the non-Jew errs  
himself, it is permissible  if there is no chilul hasheim  not to inform  
him. Although it is appropriate for the Jew to tell him, I am relying on  
your calculations.
This quote is a little frustrating to me, since the goal of this series of  
posts was to reinforce the need for ethics in the workplace, and here Rabbi  
Ganzfried discusses situations in which a lack of monetary ethics is  
technically permitted (halakhah), even if still of questionable ethics  
(mussar, lifnim mishuras hadin [the obligation to go beyond the letter of  
the law, where appropriate and one is capable]).

However, lets look at the total picture:

  One may not steal, even through mis-measurement, from a Jew or a non-Jew.  
Actually, its worse than the Qitzur spells out. As we will see tomorrow,  
Rashi (citing Chazal) explains that there is a prohibition not to even own  
the dishonest measures  even if one does not use them! After all, using  
them would be included in the prohibition against theft. Merely owning the  
tools for such subterfuge without attempting to use  itself what Hashem is  
calling a toeivah (disgusting).
One may not lie, or even actively mislead, a Jew or a non-Jew.
What the Qitzur does permit is passively allowing a non-Jew to lose money  
on a rental or loan (so that no object is involved) for his own mistake, in  
an instance where there is no chance of chilul hasheim (such as one is  
dealing with the borrowers estate on a loan that has no evidence or  
documentation, or a math error that is unlikely to get caught). Because of  
the above about lying, one cant actively say anything to imply the money is  
really yours. And its better to state clearly that you are paying according  
to his words, not alleging to agree that the amount is correct.


But even with all these limitations, why is taus akum, the error of a  
non-Jew, grounds for simply not correcting him and walking away with the  
profit?

With respect to returning lost property, which is not only non-obligatory,  
its outright prohibited, the Rambam and the Shulchan Arukh (CM 266:1) write  
that this is specifically with respect to an akum, literally a star  
worshipper, ie a pagan whose own morals are suspect and who is our  
adversary. It would seem to be based on the notion that one isnt obligated  
to lose being more honest than the norms of the industry, particularly when  
dealing with adversaries.

However, the restrictions that this does not apply where there is any  
chance of chilul hasheim nor where the person may be an ethical monotheist,  
makes this leniency effectively moot. The topic is bound to only be  
theoretical with respect to our lives, even if one sticks to the precise  
line of the law.

PS: You might have noticed I wrote chilul hasheim (desecrating G-ds  
reputation), rather than chilul Hashem. This is because G-d Himself is  
unchanging, and certainly cant be desecrated. The latter, Hashem, is used  
as a reference to G-d Himself. What one desecrates isnt Hashem, but His  
reputation, i.e. the name.



--
You are subscribed to email updates from "Aspaqlaria."
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now:  
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=PRZnYwkoA8PVlUjrunqKh3NSA-E

Email delivery powered by Google.
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/aspaqlaria-aishdas.org/attachments/20090806/0ef52ddc/attachment-0002.htm>