Vayetzeh: cheating
Vayetzeh: cheating
Cheating is a major theme of this week's parsha. Lavan cheats Jacob. Jacob uses clever tricks to multiply his wealth, based upon Lavan's capital. Lavan devalues Jacob's labor, etc.
What is cheating? It is not quite stealing, but it is certainly not honorable. Cheating is dealing with another in a manner that leaves a sense of unfairness, but fails to rise to the level of crime. The wronged party curses the cheater, and may feel justified in treating him in a prejudicial manner, but the malfeasance is insufficient to sue for recovery. Sometimes, there is difference between the parties in the interpretation of their agreement. This is the stuff of lawyer's work. Sometimes, the huge difference in outcomes ( incomes) generates the charge of cheating. The call for greater equality in wealth includes an implication of cheating.
Can the bilked party now justify tricking the adversary? Every instance is different. There is never an equivalent situation. Opportunities for gain are unpredictable. But deception leads to a reclassification. The partner becomes the competitor, sometimes the enemy.
The feeling of swindled can have various levels of justification. It can be a disagreement about entitlement. As societies become more complex, the compensation schemes become subject to point of view. The increase of the sheep was the product of Jacobs ideas and labor. But all the sheep came from Lavan's founding flock.
In the daily prayer we ask for tzedek and mishpat, righteousness and justice. To an extent, this is a recognition of the variations in what is called justice. To an extent, it calls for mercy to mixed with justice, so that the judged can survive
The feeling of swindled can have various levels of justification. It can be a disagreement about entitlement. As societies become more complex, the compensation schemes become subject to point of view. The increase of the sheep was the product of Jacobs ideas and labor. But all the sheep came from Lavan's founding flock.
In the daily prayer we ask for tzedek and mishpat, righteousness and justice. To an extent, this is a recognition of the variations in what is called justice. To an extent, it calls for mercy to mixed with justice, so that the judged can survive
A legend of cheating envelops the Jew. There is a long history of the gentile extorting from the Jew. The generalizations justify more of the same. There are large element of envy and entitlement
Le secret des grandes fortunes sans cause apparente est un crime oublié, parce qu'il a été proprement fait.
Behind every great fortune there is a great crime
posted by Sheldon Goldberg at 7:54 AM
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