Complete Honesty in Weights and Measures

What is critical in Leviticus 19, is that Hashem tells Moshe to address the entire congregation with a halakhic discourse on holiness, that is, how they are to walk in the ways of Hashem regarding holiness. The reason for this command is made explicit in the latter part of the second verse: "You shall be kedoshim, for I, Adonai your God, am Kadosh (Leviticus 19:2, TLV)." The chapter proceeds with various mitzvot, mostly negative, for example, concerning idolatrous behavior, peace offerings, social justice, morality, ethics, integrity, kashrut, keeping Shabbat, revering what is holy, loving the ger, and business ethics. By the time one gets to the last three verses regarding business ethics, the crystallization of Hashem's holiness has taken shape, and the closing verses of the chapter encapsulate the previous discourse regarding honesty.  The negative mitzvah, beginning in verse 35, states that there should be no dishonesty or injustice as it pertains to weights, measures, and capacity.  A standard system of weights and measures was an essential requirement in the ancient near east for use in the life of the nation and its inhabitants, of commercial, personal, and religious use.   In verse 36, Hashem commands the congregation of Israel to have honest weights and measures.  The Hebrew word for honest, tzedek, a Segolate noun, occurs four times in the verse, alluding to the fact that Hashem is honest, and he expects His children to be honest in their business endeavors per the halachic rendering of holy conduct.  After commanding them to have honest weights and measures, Hashem expands the meaning of honest beyond weights and measures, to general practice, setting the expectation that they must be a virtuous nation in all of their affairs, because the great “I Am” whom they serve is the righteous God who brought them out of the iron furnace to represent Him communally in all their business, personal, and religious matters: “you shall be honest – I am Hashem your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19:36, my translation).”  Closing out this unit of thought, Hashem commands the whole congregation of Israel to keep all of His statutes, and all of his laws.  The Hebrew word for “my statues,” chukotai, and “my laws.” mishpatai, both include a pronominal 1cs suffix, to inform the reader that these are Hashem’s rulings, which are certainly non-negotiable.  The final nuance I would like to point out is one that is revealing but is left out in less literal translations, such as the Koren Jerusalem Bible.  Not only does Hashem say that the whole congregation is to keep (2mp, you – as in the whole congregation – are to keep) all of his statues and laws, but they are also to perform them.  The Hebrew verb for “keep,” shamar, as the intention or observance, should be read together with its matching verb “do,” asa, in so far as Hashem is saying: you shall keep all of my statutes, and all of my laws, and do them – I am Hashem (Leviticus 19:37, my translation).

In keeping with laws of ethics, Deuteronomy 25 begins with a halakhic discourse regarding civil disputes, setting a maximum number of lashes for the guilty party to preserve dignity and protect the guilty party from the threat of cruel and unusual punishment.  The rest of the chapter is a compilation of various halakhic laws such as the negative mitzvah - to refrain from muzzling an ox while it is threshing, enabling the animal to eat as it works, proving that Hashem cares for the wellbeing of animals too.  As a holy nation, Israel shouldn’t deprive a working animal of its reward, which would be cruel and degrading to the animal.  After reading through performing the duty of a brother-in-law to carry on the family name and lineage, and publically shaming a brother who refuses to perform this rite, one can sense the high value and emphasis placed on carrying on family lineage in Israelite culture.  The last three verses in this unit of thought, once again, are about honesty in the home and business.  Verse 13 begins with a negative mitzvah, “you shall not have” regarding a bag with alternative weights such as a larger one and a smaller one, which would be an unethical business practice.  Rashi adds that this practice is deceitful, because the weights look the same to the naked eye, but don’t weigh the same (Chabad, Deuteronomy 25:13).  Verse 14 proceeds with an almost identical negative mitzvah, this time regarding having alternative measures “in your home,” indicating that Israelites are not to have alternative measures in their homes either.  The Hebrew word for a measure, an ephah, is referring to two different kinds of measures since it says ephah v’ephah (a measure and a measure), but an ephah in this context is likely a receptacle used to measure grain or wheat.  Things begin to become rather interesting as we proceed to verse 15, as the mitzvah states, “a completely honest weight you shall have; a completely honest measure you shall have, so that your days may be long concerning the land that Hashem your God is giving you (Deuteronomy 25:15, my translation).  The Hebrew adjective sh’layma is from the root “shalam,” which modifies the noun “measure” to set a clear expectation regarding their honesty – they are to be completely honest.  Therefore, Hashem is commanding the children of Israel – their longevity and their ability to flourish in the promised land of Canaan is contingent upon their ability to keep Hashem’s statutes and mitzvot, including complete honesty and integrity in weights and measures.  

In summary, the children of Israel are to embody and reflect the character traits of Hashem, precisely complete honesty, in all of their business and personal interactions, not only in trade and commerce but also in their homes and own endeavors. In verse 16, the text conveys Hashem’s heart and outlook regarding those who practice dishonesty, leaving no further question regarding why He is holding the children of Israel accountable for their character and their ability to practice honesty as a nation set apart to illuminate the nature of God.  The text concludes with the confirmation that everyone who practices dishonesty is an abomination to Hashem. 

While there is total continuity with Hashem’s Torah, there are stark contrasts between the halachic discourses in Leviticus 19 and Deuteronomy 25, verses Hashem’s coming forth as a righteous judge with an indictment against Samaria in Judah in the book of Micah. In Micah, the prophet delivers Hashem’s accusation against the northern and southern Kingdom of Judah because of their perpetual wickedness and transgression, providing a prophetic warning regarding the looming destruction of Jerusalem.  In chapter 2, through the words of the prophet, Hashem delivers a woe to those who devise evil schemes and wickedness day and night, which is precisely associated with the negative mitzvot reviewed in the halachic renderings previously discussed.  For instance, the one who plots wicked schemes is bound to conduct business and personal fraud, purposely devising evil plans with alternative weights and measures.  In chapter 6, Hashem’s indictment becomes much more specific as the prophet presents a detailed accusation against those who are guilty of transgressing the statues concerning complete honesty in their use of weights and measures.  Tragically, Israel did not heed this mitzvah, and now Hashem is coming as the righteous judge to judge between those who are walking in His ways –keeping and doing his Torah and those who are walking in the ways of wickedness.  In short, as a righteous judge, Hashem will acquit the innocent, which in this case are those who are walking in his halachic instructions, but those who are walking in the ways of wickedness are subject to the rod of judgment.  Proceeding with the indictment, verse 10 begins with two adverbs od ha’aish.  Because of interrogative hey in front of the adverb, one can see that Hashem is asking a question, “yet, is there a storehouse of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a scant measure that is accursed (Micah 6:10, my translation)?  The Hebrew word for accursed here could also mean indignant, but cursed seems to fit well since such fraudulent activity is accursed in the eyes of Hashem.  The text proceeds with Hashem asking another question in a rhetorical sense since the answer is obvious to those who know Him as the righteous judge, yet terrifying for those who are guilty because Hashem cannot acquit the guilty, since, by his own declaration to Moshe, he does not leave the guilty unpunished; nevertheless, verse 11 and 12 rhetorically states, shall I acquit the one with wicked scales and a bag of deceitful weights, whose rich ones are full of violence, deceit, and it’s inhabitants speak lies, via tongue of treachery in their mouths (Micah 6:11-12, my translation)?   The indictment is severe as Hashem takes his rightful stand against those who are practicing dishonesty, wickedness, and violence in the land He gave their forefathers in exchange for their loyalty.  In conclusion, we have looked at three different texts that involve explicit commands for the children of Israel regarding their complete honesty in business and personal endeavors, with explicit warnings of judgment if they fail to obey these statutes and mitzvot.  Hashem’s indictment against Samaria in Judah through prophet Micah regarding their transgression of honest and ethical character is rather tragic; nonetheless, it should not come as a shock after a careful rendering of the halachic discourses in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.