70. The Scholar in Business

Deios 5:12

It is prohibited to renounce ownership of all of one’s possessions, or to consecrate them, as this will impoverish a person and make him a burden on society. One should not sell a field to buy a house, nor a house to buy movable property, nor should one use the proceeds of selling a house for his business dealings. One may sell movable property to buy a field. The goal should be to improve one’s position by exchanging more temporal things for things that last. One’s intention should not be to enjoy temporary pleasures, or to enjoy some small benefit at the cost of a great loss.

Deios 5:13

A Torah scholar’s business dealings should be honest and faithful. When he means yes, he says yes, and when he means no, he says no. He is meticulous in his bookkeeping, yielding to others when he buys from them but not harshly exacting payment. The scholar pays for his purchases right away. He doesn’t hold property for others or collect debts for a third party. He accepts obligations in business beyond what the Torah requires of him so that he will always keep his word. If others owe him, he extends their deadlines and forgives their debts. He lends money, gives gifts, and does not encroach on another's livelihood. He would never cause anyone grief. The principle is that he should be pursued, not a pursuer; he should accept humiliation but not humiliate others. Regarding one who does all this and similar things, Isaiah 49:3 says, “He said to me, ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’”