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Parshat Ki Teitzei presents a myriad of laws pertaining to different areas of Jewish life. Before concluding with the mitzvah of remembering Amalek, the Parsha presents both a positive and negative commandment regarding honest weights.
לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּכִיסְךָ אֶבֶן וָאָבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה. לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה
אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ אֵיפָה שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ…
It is forbidden to carry or keep in one’s house weights that appear to have one value but, in actuality, have another. The Torah links the positive fulfillment of this mitzvah to our ability to prevail in the land of Israel. It also warns us that anyone who engages in these practices is considered to be תוֹעֲבַת ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ, an abomination before Hashem. Not only is the act prohibited; the person is considered to be in a state that destroys his relationship with Hashem.
The Torah has already, in Parshat Kedoshim, prohibited us from using false weights when conducting business… לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ עָוֶל בַּמִּשְׁפָּט בַּמִּדָּה בַּמִּשְׁקָל וּבַמְּשׂוּרָה
You shall not do injustice in the judgment, with measures of length, weight, or capacity...
Here in Devarim , the prohibition is extended to even carrying or owning these false measures. The Torah is emphasizing how important it is to distance ourselves from any association with deceptive business practices.
The Sifra, in Kedoshim, wonders why a prohibition against weights and measures is introduced as, “Do not do injustice בַּמִּשְׁפָּט, in the judgment”. After all, The Torah is not giving a warning to judges but, rather, to regular people who are engaged in business. IThe Sifra answers: It is to teach us, rather, that a measurer is called a judge, and if he falsifies in measurement, he is called: "wrong," "hated," "revolting," "rejected," "abominable," and he brings about five things: He defiles the sanctuary, he desecrates the Name, he drives out the Shechinah, he causes Israel to fall by the sword, and he exiles them from their land.
We, as Jews, pride ourselves on our ability to maintain an ordered society. We don’t break into our neighbors' homes; we don’t hold up people in our streets. Violent crime is an aberration, not the norm. However, we tend to tolerate a more subtle form of stealing: Engaging in deceptive business practices, “skimming a little off the top”, and changing the value of a transaction “just a little bit”. The Sifra is teaching us that these are not simply wrongful actions. The Torah considers each person to be a judge in his own business endeavors; when you cheat just a little bit, you are actually corrupting the justice system itself. A society that tolerates this corruption will experience a fundamental breakdown from within. It negates Hashem’s system of justice and severs the nation’s relationship with Him.
Dishonest business practices have yet another effect. Though they won’t admit it, the nations of the world perceive us as a מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ, a kingdom of priests and a sacred nation. They do hold us to a higher standard. The nations don’t care if we fail to go to shul, eat kosher, or even observe Shabbos. But they do notice when we are engaged in cheating. They use it as a pretext to act on their latent anti-Semitism, pouncing on our dishonesty and “hypocrisy” in order to attack us. And so the parsha concludes with a warning: … זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק
Remember what Amalek did to you… Rashi explains that such an attack is the natural conclusion of a society whose people own false weights and measures.
Let us heed these warnings and unite to build a just and righteous society, so that we will merit the fulfillment of Yeshayahu’s prophecy. צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה.
Zion will be redeemed by justice, her repentant ones by righteousness (Isaiah 1:27).
Shabbat Shalom,
Mrs. Tobi Wolf
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