The First Question After Death: Were You Honest in Business?

“Rava said: ‘When a person is brought to judgment, they say to him: Did you conduct business faithfully?’” (Talmud, Shabbat 31a). Of the five questions a person is asked after passing from this world and entering the next, this is the first, highlighting the importance of integrity in all our dealings with others.

Integrity in Business

The Torah forbids us to deceive others, in any area of life and certainly in business matters, and this applies to both buyer and seller. This is clear from the verse, “When you make a sale to your fellow Jew, or buy from your fellow Jew, you shall not wrong one another.”

This law applies not only to transfer of property but also to rental contracts, employment contracts, and currency exchange.

Not Inflating the Value of One’s Products

A merchant may not be deceptive in the presentation of his merchandise. For example, he may not feed an animal special food or drink that makes it swell up and appear fatter than it really is.

Someone selling inferior merchandise may not mix in superior merchandise in order to disguise the poorer quality goods. For example, one may not mix even a small amount of overripe fruit with a large amount of good quality fruit, unless it is obvious that this is what has been done.

If a merchant acquired goods from another seller, and later discovers that he was cheated and that the seller inflated the value of his merchandise, he may not pass on the swindle to his own customers. For example, if someone bought a second-hand car from another person, who presented the car as being worth $10,000, and he later discovers that the car is only worth $7,000, he may not tell his own customers that the car is worth a cent above its true value. All he may do is tell his customers that, “I paid $10,000 for this car, and I’m selling it for x amount.”

Weights and Measures

Aside from the prohibition of deceiving others, the Torah stresses the importance of having accurate weights and measures when doing business: “You shall not commit a perversion of justice with measures, weights, or liquid measures.”

The punishment for violating this law is especially severe because of the impossibility of rectifying the deception — the seller cannot possibly know with what or to whom he should make restitution.

According to Torah law, community leaders are obligated to appoint officials to make the rounds of local stores and check the weights and measures for accuracy.

In fact, often it is not enough to be exact in weights and measures. If the local custom is to give heaped measures, a vendor may not give level measures even if the customer agrees to accept a level measure at a reduced price. Likewise, if the local custom is to give level measures, the vendor may not give heaped measures to a customer who is willing to pay more. The reason is to avoid even a semblance of deception.

Between Customers

Storekeepers seeking to attract customers may distribute merchandise for free or at below-cost price, even if his competitors object.

Once a seller and a buyer have agreed on a price, the seller may not sell to someone else. If seller and buyer are still bargaining over the price, the seller may conclude the sale with someone else. This also applies to rental contracts etc..

In a case where the seller has agreed to sell to a certain person, and the person has agreed to buy, and partial payment has been made or some kind of agreement signed, a party who reneges is considered to be cursed as a person who does not stand by his word.

Halachah also requires a person to follow through when giving gifts to others. A person who promises to give a small item or amount of money to someone and reneges is considered unreliable and faithless. If someone promises to give something to a poor person, whether the “something” is small or large, it is considered binding and he must follow through.

There are many other Torah laws and Rabbinic injunctions on doing business, selling property, hiring employees, and more. Honesty and integrity are key to living a Torah life, in all our relationships.