On Integrity

Two men once approached their rabbi to seek his advice.

“We want to form a partnership,” the first said.

“We believe that we can be successful in our venture.  Do you have any advice fore us?”

The rabbi thought.  He pulled out a paper and pen and wrote the first four letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  “This will be your contract,” he said.  “The alef stands for emunah (faith).  The bet is for beracha (blessing).  Gimel is for genivah (theft).  The final letter, dalet, stands for dalut (poverty).

“If you have faith in one another and carry out your business with integrity, the outcome will be for a blessing.  But should you treat each other dishonestly and steal from the company or each other, the venture will end in poverty and disaster.”

Morality in business is a topic that has been in vogue in Judaism for millennia.   It is alternately in and out of fashion, depending upon the zeitgeist.  Yet, how we conduct ourselves is of utmost concern to our faith.  It is not what we say but what we do that counts. To have lust in one’s heart, (remember Jimmy Carter?) it is not a sin unless it becomes actualized.

Recently, I heard the story of a man who came to complain to his rabbi about her friend who had ceased to believe in God.  The man had no faith whatsoever. 

“It is terrible, Rabbi! The man is an atheist!”

“Well replied the sage, “atheist, shmatheist! As long as he davens Mincha.”

Here lies on the great emphases of Judaism as distinct from other religions.  It is wonderful when a person’s intentions coincide with his actions. But really, who cares about verbal obeisance? First, let him do good. I want to meet good people not people who think they are good.

The ancient texts lay heavy emphasis on honesty when dealing with other people.  It is said that one of the questions that we will be asked by the Heavenly Tribunal in the next world is yashrut b’masa uv’matan (Have you been honest in your business dealings)?  Our integrity in dealing with our fellow man is of paramount importance.

Leading others to make wrong decisions is part of the moral rectitude referred to by the Talmud. Misrepresentation is just bad as outright thievery, sometimes worse.  I’m making misleading statements we can introduce unsuspecting people to drugs, obscenity, gambling, and dubious places of entertainment. It is equally wrong to offer non-kosher food to an observant Jew. Such misdirection can grossly affect the lives of those with whom we interact.

Rabbi Aaron HaLevi so far as to say that there are “three pillars in which the world is established -truth, mutual confidence and trust. “The breach of any one of these is enough cause someone else to transgress.

The only thing worse than being dishonest with ourselves is to lead others astray.