Dear Friends,
”Were you honest in business?” It is a question asked of Moses, us, and Russian leaders...
Jewish legend teaches that when we die and ascend to the Throne of Glory, we will be interrogated as to the probity of our lives, including the question: ”Were you honest in business?”
It is interesting that such should be the concern of the heavenly court. We would expect to be tested on our kindness, compassion, charitableness, or our piety. But, on our business ethics? In truth, business and financial integrity are critical in Torah. This appears in our Torah portion, addressing how Moses maintained the accounts of precious metals used to construct the desert tabernacle and its implements.
“These are the accounts of the tabernacle… All the gold used in the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels…” [Ex. 38:21, 24]
A commentary asks, why does Torah state “All the gold used,” rather than express, “All the gold was used.” The implication of the former could be that not all of the gold was used in the construction; some of it was used elsewhere, or, heaven forbid, diverted wrongly. The commentary, though, indicates that the word, “all,” comforts the reader that all that was collected and consigned to the artisans was properly allotted. Thus, the commentary confirms the integrity of the craftsmen and Moses with the valuables of the people. They would stand the heavenly test.
It is an important consideration for our own day. We could apply this concern to our financial ethics, or to the world’s reaction to Russia’s attack on Ukraine through fiscal sanctions.
Our world demands business integrity or transparency. Like you, I suspect, I am outraged that Russian oligarchs are profiting off the suffering of Ukrainians, or the backs of commonplace Russian citizens. Among my first reactions to the invasion was how could I refrain from doing business with companies which operate in Russia – such as Exxon, Apple, Visa or Shell (all have since divested or suspended their Russian interests – to their credit!) In our world, we all are fiduciaries of the financial trust of everyone else. Our globe is interconnected. Although I cannot pick up a weapon and confront the Russians, I can put my money where my mouth is, and my credit card where my heart is.
We do not have to be a Moses to handle the material or matters of others; we need only be an ethical human being. Were you honest in business?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
”Were you honest in business?” It is a question asked of Moses, us, and Russian leaders...
Jewish legend teaches that when we die and ascend to the Throne of Glory, we will be interrogated as to the probity of our lives, including the question: ”Were you honest in business?”
It is interesting that such should be the concern of the heavenly court. We would expect to be tested on our kindness, compassion, charitableness, or our piety. But, on our business ethics? In truth, business and financial integrity are critical in Torah. This appears in our Torah portion, addressing how Moses maintained the accounts of precious metals used to construct the desert tabernacle and its implements.
“These are the accounts of the tabernacle… All the gold used in the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels…” [Ex. 38:21, 24]
A commentary asks, why does Torah state “All the gold used,” rather than express, “All the gold was used.” The implication of the former could be that not all of the gold was used in the construction; some of it was used elsewhere, or, heaven forbid, diverted wrongly. The commentary, though, indicates that the word, “all,” comforts the reader that all that was collected and consigned to the artisans was properly allotted. Thus, the commentary confirms the integrity of the craftsmen and Moses with the valuables of the people. They would stand the heavenly test.
It is an important consideration for our own day. We could apply this concern to our financial ethics, or to the world’s reaction to Russia’s attack on Ukraine through fiscal sanctions.
Our world demands business integrity or transparency. Like you, I suspect, I am outraged that Russian oligarchs are profiting off the suffering of Ukrainians, or the backs of commonplace Russian citizens. Among my first reactions to the invasion was how could I refrain from doing business with companies which operate in Russia – such as Exxon, Apple, Visa or Shell (all have since divested or suspended their Russian interests – to their credit!) In our world, we all are fiduciaries of the financial trust of everyone else. Our globe is interconnected. Although I cannot pick up a weapon and confront the Russians, I can put my money where my mouth is, and my credit card where my heart is.
We do not have to be a Moses to handle the material or matters of others; we need only be an ethical human being. Were you honest in business?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
