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DEUTERONOMY — 25:15 whole

DEUT1465 The Rabbis taught: Whence is it derived that one should not be precise [in weighing] in a place where an "extra" is generally given [to the customer], and that one should not give an "extra" in a place where it is customary to be precise? From: "a whole stone." And whence is it derived that if one said, in a place where it is customary to give an extra: I shall be precise, and deduct [the amount of the "extra"] from the price; or, in a place where it is customary to be precise: I shall give him an "extra" and add something to the price -- whence is it derived that he is not heeded? From: "A whole and just stone" (Bava Bathra 89b)

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DEUTERONOMY — 25:16 dishonestly

DEUT1467 With regard to [weights and] measures … they are explicitly referred to [this verse]: "For anyone who does these things [false weights and measurements - AJL] , it is an abomination [before] the Eternal, your God"; and the Sages of blessed memory have said (Bava Basra 88b): "The punishment for [false - AJL] measurements is [even] more severe than the punishment for promiscuity.… "And they have said (ibid. 88a): "A wholesaler cleans his scales every thirty days." Why is this so? So that the scales do not lose their accuracy through inattention – and [in doing so] he avoids punishment.

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DEUTERONOMY — 25:16 dishonestly

DEUT1466 There are various rulings on non-Jews in the Talmud, including some that are discriminatory. However, even among the most hostile rabbinic figures, we find certain standards of behavior that are binding upon all Jews: It is always forbidden to steal from or deceive anyone, even an idolater (Bava Kamma 113b, Chullin 94a). [A Jew who acts dishonestly is regarded as "abhorrent to the Lord your God" [this verse]. For example, a merchant who knows of a flaw in his merchandise must inform the would-be purchaser--Jew or non-Jew--of it (see Maimonides, "Laws of Sales" 18:1). Indeed, the Rabbis teach that "stealing from a non-Jew is worse than stealing from a Jew because of the profanation of God's name" (Tosefta Bava Kamma 10:15). When a Jew is found to have acted dishonestly toward another Jew, he brings contempt upon himself. But when a Jew acts dishonestly toward a non-Jew, he runs the risk of causing others to view Jews and Judaism with contempt; this makes such behavior even more reprehensible.

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DEUTERONOMY — 25:16 fraudulently

DEUT1468 (Continued from [[LEV988]] Leviticus 25:17 abuse PATH 60-1). Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Chullin 94a) that it is prohibited to deceive even a non-Jew, and it has already been stated explicitly in Scripture (Tzefanyah 3:13): "The remnant of Israel should do no iniquity, nor speak falsely, nor should there be found in their mouths a deceiving tongue." And they also said "One must not beautify old utensils to make them appear new" (Bava Metzia 60a-b), [and:] "One may not mix grain [from one field] with grain [from another field] even if all of it is fresh… [One may not mix fresh grain with older grain] even if its value [the fresh grain] is a dinar for every se'ah and even though it [the older grain] is a greater value [being valued] at a dinar and a tarsis, nevertheless one may not mix them and sell them [even] at [the lower price of] a dinar for every se'ah" (based on the Tosefta Bava Metzia 3:15). "For all who do these things… all who act fraudulently" [this verse] "are designated by five descriptions: iniquitous, hated, abominable, excommunicated, despicable (Sifrei Ki-Setze 165).

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DEUTERONOMY — 25:16 these

DEUT1469 R. Levi said: More severe is the punishment for [dishonest] measures than that for illicit relations, it being written of the latter (Leviticus 18:27): ["all] these (ha'el) [abominations"], whereas of the former it is written: "ha'eleh" [this connoting greater stringency than the other]. But in respect to illicit relations it is also written "ha'eleh" [(Ibid. 29): "for all who do these (ha'eleh) abominations shall be cut off"]! That is to exclude [transgressions in the area of false weights and] measures from kareth [cutting-off]. And why are these [illicit relations] less severe? These lend themselves to repentance; the others, do not (Bava Bathra 88b)

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DEUTERONOMY — 25:17 Amalek

DEUT1471 According to the Kabbalah, the Jew is to recite and remember six remembrances each day (the Exodus, Receiving the Torah at Sinai, Amalek's attack, the Golden Calf, Miriam's sin, and Shabbat) (found in most prayer books following the daily morning service). However, the Midrash (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tetzei 5) says that of all the remembrances, a person should be most careful about remembering what Amalek did to the Jewish people. But is this applicable today? Does the nation of Amalek exist, and if so, who are they? From the time of Sancherev (Mishnah, Yadayim 4:4), who intentionally intermingled all the peoples of the world, there is no one nation that can be identified as Amalek. However, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, attributing this view to his father (and others said his grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik), believes that Amalek's role was filled in the twentieth-century by Hitler and the Nazis (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Theological and Halakhik Reflections on the Holocaust (Hoboken, NJ: Ktav, 1992), p. 98.) This is based on the verse (Exodus 17:6) that the battle between Jews and Amalek will continue from generation to generation. The Midrash (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tetzei 11) explains that in each generation, the battle between the Jews and Amalek will be waged. Similarly, Maimonides (Hilchot Melachim 5:4) specifically states that the seven nations have disappeared, while making no corresponding statement about Amalek, implying that the Amalek tribe still exists. That is, anyone who tries to destroy Jews simply because they are Jews, with no other alternative motive (as the original Amalekites did), should be considered in the category of Amalek today. This is based on the verse in Psalm 83 (Psalms 83:5) that speaks about a people who try to destroy the Jews and their remembrance. Based on the definition of Rabbi Soloveitchik, would Hitler and Nazi Germany be classified as Amalek? From Hitler's writings alone and even from his actions at the beginning of the war, it is difficult to ascertain for certain. It is possible, as deranged as it sounds, that Hitler actually believed at the destruction of the Jews would benefit Germany. If that is the case, then his massive killing of Jews, as horrible and morally reprehensible as it might have been, would not classify Hitler as Amalek. However, from his actions in 1943 – 1944, after he was losing the war, we can deduce Hitler's real beliefs. As Nazi Germany began to lose on all fronts, Hitler had an important choice to make. Trains that could. have been used to transport replacement soldiers, weapons, medicine, and food to the German army at the front were used to transport Jews to the death camps. In choosing to use the trains in this manner, Hitler demonstrated his first priority: killing Jews. This clearly shows that Hitler's hatred for Jews was so great that he was willing to sacrifice his own soldiers in order to kill more Jews. This proves that Hitler would be considered Amalek. In a similarly illogical response, in his last speech in the underground bunker before committing suicide, Hitler did not speak much about the war or his dream, but about the Jews, again showing that his overriding desire to destroy Jews was simply because they were Jews. This Amalekite must be remembered and never forgotten, as it says in the Torah [this verse].

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DEUTERONOMY — 25:17 Amalek

DEUT1472 Remember what Amalek did when our forefathers left Egypt. Realize that Hashem hates all enemies of the Jewish People--all nations and individuals who seek to cause pain and suffering. The greater the evil that such a foe perpetrates against us, the worst will be his fall and his suffering. We see that towards Amalek, whose evil against Israel was exceedingly great, Hashem's hatred is particularly vengeful, for He commands us to eliminate any trace of the nation of Amalek. We are commanded to not forget what Amalek did, and we must remind ourselves of our hatred for him, and seek him out wherever he is in order to destroy him.

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