Lifnei Iver - Testing Integrity

QUESTION: May an employer test the integrity of his employees by leaving money out in a seemingly unattended area to see if anyone will steal it? Is tempting his workers to steal the money a violation of lifnei iver (causing someone to sin)?

ANSWER: The Sridei Aish (3:61:2) writes that this is permissible. He explains that every Jew has a presumption of having high moral character. Although your intention in doing so is to test them, since there is no reason to assume that they will not pass this test, it is not lifnei iver. Furthermore, he argues that, although it might be prudent to lock your doors and install an alarm system, one who does not do so cannot be considered guilty of lifnei iver. He offers various further proofs from the halachos of Shevi’is. 

The Ben Ish Chai (Torah Lishma, 407) has a different opinion. He concurs that it is assumed that a person is honest and is not under suspicion that he might steal. Were this not the case, it would be a violation of lifnei iver to hire workers to manage one’s business affairs without supervision. Nonetheless, whenever possible, one must try to minimize the possibility of dishonest behavior. As a proof, he cites the Gemara (Bava Metzia 75b), that if one lends money to a neighbor without witnesses it is a violation of lifnei iver, since it enables the borrower to easily deny the loan and not repay the money. By the same token, it is not permissible to create a temptation for thievery by pretending to leave money in a place where it can be easily stolen.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.