DEUT1451 More specifically to our interest in business ethics, the Torah is aware that commerce can provide special temptations to cheat, and so we are warned: (Deuteronomy 25:13-15]. These verses from the Torah teach that it is not acceptable to cheat. If you are selling a pound of olives, you are obligated to deliver a full pound of olives. Obviously, this concept extends to other forms of business cheating and shortcuts. You are obligated to deliver "the full measure" of what the client buys. This is readily understood to include quality as well as quantity: a discussion in the Talmud shows that when people pay for a specific product--vinegar, medium-quality wine, or select wine--they are entitled to receive what they purchased (B. Bava Metzia 73a). The concept of "do not steal" is extended beyond the theft of physical objects to include intangibles. We are forbidden to engage in geneivat da'at--deception, literally "stealing the mind," creating a false impression, or misleading people. The Talmud explicitly states that such deception is forbidden, and it specifies that one may not deceive "idol worshipers," which is to say not only gentiles, who are also ethical monotheists, but anyone at all. (B. Hillin 94b) (By Barry J. Leff, "Jewish Business Ethics")
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