Get Four DVDs for $.49 each. Join now. | Tell me when this page is updated |
|
The month of Elul, which began Sunday, August 23, 1998, is the last month in
the Jewish calendar. Because of its proximity to the High Holidays, on which G-d
judges the entire world, the days of Elul are traditionally set aside for
repentance and introspection. The month of Elul is a time in which we should
review how we conduct our lives, make commitments to change those areas that we
find lacking, and start acting on those commitments.
The Talmud (Baba Basra 89b) discusses different ways storekeepers might
shortchange their customers. After listing several deceptive practices, the
Talmud relates that Rabi Yochanan ben Zakkai said: "Woe to me if I should speak
[of them]; woe to me if I should not speak. Should I speak [of them], scoundrels
might learn [them]; and should I not speak, the scoundrels might say, the
scholars are unacquainted with our practices' [and will deceive us still more]."
Rabi Yochanan was troubled about whether he should give a lecture on the laws
that concern deceptive business practices. The Maharsha, a Talmudic commentator,
explains that Rabi Yochanan's concern on not giving the lecture was not just
that the "cheats" would continue their evil ways, unaware that scholars knew the
"tricks of the trade." The Maharsha writes that Rabi Yochanan did not want the
scoundrels to say that if the scholars knew about these tricks, they would use
them for personal profit as well. Therefore, Rabi Yochanan felt that he should
disclose that the scholars knew about these deceptive practices, and that they
still did not engage in trickery.
Rabbi Henoch Leibowitz asked why Rabi Yochanan would be concerned about what
scoundrels have to say. These people were far from being of high moral caliber.
Their judgement as to the character of others, let alone of scholars whose
devotion to G-d and the Torah was unwavering, is nowhere near accurate nor
reflective of the truth. Why, then, was Rav Yochanan concerned with their
opinion of the scholars?
The answer, Rav Leibowitz said, is Rav Yochanan was not worried about the
scoundrels' character assessment. He was worried that they would not be aware of
the truth of the situation: The scholars knew about the tricks and they did not
use them. If the tricksters knew this important fact, it could potentially have
a great impact. It could cause a crooked businessman to straighten his ways.
When a dishonest shopkeeper would see that there are people who fully know how
to cheat someone out of a their money, but they do not do so purely because it
is wrong, because G-d said not to do so, it may inspire him to realize he can do
the same. He can know how to take advantage of someone and not follow through.
Rabi Yochanan felt perhaps giving a lecture on the laws of trickery would be
worthwhile, although others might learn new deceptive practices, since it might
cause scoundrels to repent.
Did Rabi Yochanan give the lecture? The Talmud tells us that he did, but not
to address the concern he initially voiced. The Maharsha writes that Rabi
Yochanan felt it was extremely important for the students to be versed in all
forms of trickery. In this way, should they ever chance upon a situation where
they may inadvertently deceive someone, they could realize what they were doing
and not engage in deceit, albeit inadvertent. Rabi Yochanan felt that it was so
important that people recognize what constitutes cheating that he had to lecture
on the topic, even if it resulted in some people using the lecture to cheat
people in ways that had not previously known. Cheating and tricking people are
great sins, even when done unconsciously, and therefore Rabi Yochanan had to
lecture on the topic, negative consequences notwithstanding. In today's business
climate, success at all costs is often the goal. While the business world hails
integrity and honesty as worthwhile traits, it is shrewdness and acumen that
make the businessman worthy of respect by peers. In Elul, we are to engage in
self improvement. We are to improve our relationship with G-d, and equally
important, our relationship with our fellow man. When we think of improving
interpersonal relations, we often think of being nicer, treating people with
respect, not slandering, not harboring baseless hatred. Do we think of business
dealings with our colleagues as a realm of interpersonal relations that may need
improvement? If we do not, we should. As Rabi Yochanan illustrated, dealing
honestly is so important that he had to prevent even an inadvertent fraud.
Secondly, the impact of dealing honestly is greater than one might imagine. Rabi
Yochanan saw that even hardened swindlers may repent when confronted with
blatant business integrity by someone who knows about the other way of doing
business. In Elul, by striving to make money the old-fashioned way, by earning
it honestly, we can improve our relationship with our fellow man and G-d, and
perhaps inspire others to do so as well.
The Art of the Deal and It's Impact
By Rabbi Yehudah Prero
Check out all of the posts on Elul and Rosh HaShana. Head over to http://roshhashanah.torah.org/learning/yomtov/
to access the YomTov Page. Then click on the icon for the holiday of your
choice.
For questions, comments, and topic requests, please write to Rabbi Yehudah Prero.