[Avodah] Halachic who is right from "The Lost Scotch"

[Michael Kopinsky]

On 3/19/07, Elliott Shevin <eshevin at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> M. Samuel Svarc cited:
> > Is Davidi entitled to get paid despite not having sung? "> > The author
> then writes:> > " No. ... when the real Chaim ben Zundel showed up Yehoshua>
> and Davidi were equally surprised, sufficient grounds to exonerate Yehoshua>
> from paying. "
> I summarized MSS's summary for my Rav, and he suggested that my gut instinct
> was valid:
> Yehoshua should compensate for Davidi's time. (I don't know whether he was
> saying that
> the halacha goes that way, or whether it's just darchei shalom, and I
> haven't yet shown him the
> complete story [I bought the book]).

As the quote MSS brought from SA shows, if there was a difference in
knowledge (what's the technical economic term for that, again?) between
the BHB/chasan and the poel/singer, he would be chayav to pay him k'poeil
bateil = to compensate him for his time.  Since there was no difference in
knowledge, he does not even have to pay that.  As for as Midas Chasidus is
concerned (which I think you mistakenly called Darchei Shalom), I could
certainly understand a svara that he should compensate for his time.